Kuroko no Basuke - Miracle Switch (body swap!)
by etiatu
Summary: When the Generation of Miracles unintentionally swap bodies, they find themselves in a fix! Their basketball styles become entangled, and faced with a practice match against a formidable school, they are left with only two solutions - find a way to switch back, or adapt! [Split into Middle School Arc (C1-C16) and High School Arc (C17 onwards)]. [REVISED]
1. Chapter 1

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko - Akashi

Kise - Kuroko

Midorima - Kise

Aomine - Murasakibara

Murasakibara - Midorima

Akashi - Aomine

 **Chapter One**

Midorima stepped onto the slick floor of the Teikou Middle School basketball court. The first day of training camp had been long and intense, but the sharpshooter found no cause for complaint as long as he could further perfect his basketball.

The only person who had beaten him to the court was his team Captain, Akashi, who was in the middle of some stretches

"You're early as usual nanodayo, Akashi," remarked Midorima, dropping his bag at a corner.

Kuroko looked up. He could see Kise standing before him, but Akashi was nowhere in sight. Kuroko could have sworn he'd just heard Kise say, "nanodayo", but thought he must have misheard him.

"Good morning, Kise-kun," said Kuroko as he peered over Midorima's shoulder, trying to see if Akashi was there.

Midorima, thinking that Kuroko was addressing Kise, also looked behind him. When he saw no one, he flipped back around.

"Hm? Where is he?"

Kuroko thought he was referring to Akashi.

"No idea," he said, slightly puzzled. "Kise-kun, since when did you stop addressing Akashi-kun as Akashi-cchi?"

Midorima whirled around, but there was still no one behind him. He stared blankly at Kuroko. "Huh? Were you talking to Kise?"

Now Kuroko was staring back. "What do you mean?"

Completely nonplussed, Midorima asked, "Akashi, who have you been talking to all this time?"

Kuroko was genuinely concerned now. He peered closely at Midorima's face.

"Kise-kun, I'm Kuroko, not Akashi-kun. Are you feeling well?"

Midorima stood stock still. Kuroko scooted closer to him, still looking concerned.

"Have you been drinking sake this early in the morning?"

Midorima became affronted. "Akashi, is this some kind of a joke?"

"I am not Akashi-kun; I'm Kuroko," said Kuroko patiently. "I would try to detect traces of alcohol from your breath, but since you just woke up…"

"Now you're just being rude nanodayo," said Midorima irritably. Convinced that Akashi was messing with him, he made his way over to where the basketball cart was parked.

Kuroko paused. He hadn't imagined it – Kise had just used Midorima's catchphrase. He observed Kise carefully. His friend's speech and movements seemed steady, so he couldn't be _that_ drunk. Or was it all just a huge joke on his part?

"I'm not trying to be rude, Kise-kun," said Kuroko sincerely. "I'm just worried about you."

Midorima retrieved a ball from the cart. In one smooth motion, it soared from his hands and dropped through the net with a soft _whoosh._

" _You're_ the one you should be worried about nanodayo," said Midorima, returning to his bag. He fished out something from inside it – a round hand mirror.

"What are you doing, Kise-kun?"

"Proving to you that you are a susceptible victim of morning grogginess nanodayo," said Midorima matter-of-factly. "Come and have a look."

"Green… like Midorima-kun's hair. I didn't know you carried such a thing around, Kise-kun."

"It's my lucky item nanodayo. And how many times do I have to say, I'm not Ki – "

They both froze, mouths agape.

For some horrible, twisted reason, their reflections had morphed into the faces of Akashi and Kise.

Before either of the boys could begin to make sense of the situation, the door of the court slid open.

"What's up, guys? You look spooked! I understand if it's Kise, but it's not like you to be ruffled, Akashi."

It was Murasakibara, striding casually up to them with a great big grin. They stared mutely at him. Then it struck Kuroko that Murasakibara had just addressed Kise normally, without the usual 'chin' affixed. Once more, he looked at the faces reflected in the mirror.

As though a light bulb had switched on in his head, the Phantom Miracle realised what must have happened.

"Murasakibara-kun," he said, looking up uncertainly, "that's not you, is it?"

The grin slid off Murasakibara's face. He looked behind him, but there was no one there.

"The hell are you saying, Akashi? And why are you speaking to Murasakibara when he's not here?"

Kuroko and Midorima recognised the familiar symptoms with full-body dread.

"This isn't possible," muttered Midorima edgily. Kuroko, on the other hand, was gazing at Murasakibara with growing comprehension; the frown on the guy's face was unmistakeable.

"Aomine-kun, is that you?" asked Kuroko.

"Ah?" Murasakibara was full-out scowling now – and it was a scowl highly reminiscent of the Teikou ace player. "What sort of question is that?"

Midorima seemed to have recognised him, too.

"It's Aomine for sure nanodayo."

"The hell? Kise, why are you adopting Midorima's style of speech?"

"Aomine-kun," said Kuroko resignedly, "I think the three of us have switched bodies."

He gave Aomine the mirror. Aomine's mouth fell comically open.

"How – how is this even possible?" he demanded, goggling at Murasakibara's equally scandalised reflection.

It took some time for the three of them to regain their bearings.

"So Tetsu is in Akashi's body," said Aomine in disbelief, "and Midorima is in Kise's body?"

"That's right." Midorima sighed and pushed up his glasses before remembering that they weren't there. He wondered why he hadn't noticed this until now; probably he had gotten too used to them.

Aomine checked out the ground below his feet. "I did wonder why I was feeling a little taller than usual," he muttered, scratching his head. "Damn..."

"Any normal person would have noticed such a drastic difference in their height nanodayo," pointed out Midorima shortly.

"And any normal megane would have noticed if they weren't wearing glasses, you Oha-Asa fanatic."

"Please stop fighting, you two," said Kuroko. "We have to look for the others. It might be possible that they've switched bodies, too."

Aomine suddenly snorted with laughter.

"Can you imagine Satsuki in Akashi's body? She'd throw a queen-sized tantrum!"

"There is nothing funny about this, Aomine," said Midorima sharply. "Kuroko is right. We must find the others at once nanodayo."

"Oh, you guys are up early!" piped up a cheerful voice.

It was Momoi. Their manager was all smiles as she skipped happily toward them, though she seemed surprised to see Aomine.

"My, it's rare to see you awake at this time, Mukkun," she remarked curiously.

"I'm not Murasakibara," said Aomine bluntly.

"It seems that Momoi has not changed nanodayo," observed Midorima.

"Eh? Ki-chan, why are you imitating Midorin?"

"I am not Kise nanodayo."

"Eh? What do you mean? Akashi-kun, what's going on?"

"It's a little hard to explain, Momoi-san," said Kuroko uncomfortably. "First of all, where are Kise-kun, Murasakibara-kun and Akashi-kun?"

"Eh? What on earth are you talking about? You're standing in front of me, aren't you?"

"He meant 'where are Tetsu, Aomine and Midorima?'" rectified Aomine.

"Oh – they're still asleep," said Momoi, blinking rapidly. "Hold on, guys. You're talking and acting somewhat different today – "

"We'll explain later," said Aomine, making for the team's sleeping quarters. "Come on, slowpokes!"

They entered the bunk to find the other team members still tangled in their sleeping bags.

"Let's see," said Aomine, a mischievous grin spreading across his face all of a sudden. "Before we wake them, let's take a guess who's who, shall we?"

Midorima made the act of pushing up his glasses again.

"The uncouth man inhabiting my body and snoring with his mouth so rudely open has to be Murasakibara nanodayo," he said, tone marked by disapproval.

Aomine had difficulty hiding his guffaws; seeing Midorima snoring so unglamorously was more than he could take.

"So that leaves Kise-kun and Akashi-kun," said Kuroko, his eyes roving from one to the other. It was strange to be watching his own body dozing on the futon. Whoever was in it was lying on his side, legs tucked up a little. It reminded him of a kid.

Could it be… ?

"Is something wrong, Kuroko?" asked Midorima, noticing his friend's preoccupied expression.

Kuroko shook his head.

"No, it's nothing. I just didn't know I looked like that in sleep."

"Not at all. You usually have your fingers neatly intertwined on your stomach nanodayo."

"I see. Midorima-kun also has a good sleeping posture."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As for Aomine-kun, he sleeps pretty much the same way he plays basketball," added Kuroko, now watching the person in Aomine's body, who had an arm over his eyes. "Some nights he'll be facedown, others he'll be flat on his back with his arms spread open in a V-shape, and still others he'll be – "

"Oi, enough about me already," snapped Aomine annoyedly.

Momoi was watching the proceedings with wide eyes. Clearly, she hadn't the faintest idea what was going on. Meanwhile, Aomine had given up on the guessing game.

"It seems we won't know for sure until they voice it out themselves," he said, prodding his own body. "Oi, you, the one possessing my precious body! It's time to wake."

"Aomine-kun, I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Kuroko hastily – if he had guessed correctly about who was in whose body, then…

The Aomine lying on the futon dropped his arm. They saw his eyelids flutter, and then part slowly.

"Atsushi," said the fake Aomine in a dangerously soft tone, fixing his narrowed eyes on Aomine, "what is the meaning of this?"

 _Uh oh._ Aomine swallowed, backing up warily. "A – Akashi…?"

"You've got some nerve, waking me in such an indecent manner." The fake Aomine's piercing eyes, which could strike fear in people's hearts, were now alight with a terrifying menace.

"It's not that like, Akashi," Aomine tried to explain, as Akashi got to his feet, still glaring at Aomine with something bordering on murder. "I was trying to – "

"There is no excuse that will condone you, Atsushi," interrupted Akashi, "And since when have you addressed me as Akashi?"

"Akashi-kun," said Kuroko, stepping forward to save Aomine.

At the sight of his own body speaking to him, Akashi's expression transformed in a flash.

" _What the - ?_ " he exclaimed, gaping at Kuroko in shock.

"Oh? Is everyone up already?"

Kise was sitting up, yawning widely. Beside him, Murasakibara stretched like a languorous cat.

"Hm? Midorima-cchi, did you change your sleeping spot?" questioned Kise, upon catching sight of Murasakibara.

When Murasakibara didn't heed him, Kise's lips formed a grin.

"Aw, you could have just asked, Midorima-cchi. There was no need to be embarrassed."

"Dream on, moron," said the real Midorima irritably.

"My God!" gasped Kise, having just spotted Midorima standing over him in his own body.

"Let me explain, everyone," said Midorima, stepping forward authoritatively, "it would seem that the six of us have swapped bodies nanodayo."


	2. Chapter 2

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Two**

There was an immediate uproar.

"EEEEHHHHH?!" Momoi was all bug-eyed. "H – how can this be?!"

Kise had leapt up from his futon as though electrocuted. "We've _switched?_ " he yelped. "Then – then whose body am I in?!"

Even Akashi was unsettled. "How did this happen?" he demanded, eyes bulging. _"How did such an unearthly thing happen?"_

"Urgh… this is such a pain…" moaned Murasakibara.

Kuroko tried to pacify them. "Everyone, calm down! If you are confused about your identities, you can borrow Midorima-kun's mirror to see whom you've switched with... "

"Midorima-cchi has a mirror?" Kise turned immediately toward the real Murasakibara.

"No, Kise-kun. That's Murasakibara-kun," said Kuroko wearily. "Midorima-kun is currently in Kise-kun's body."

"The mirror is with Aomine nanodayo," said Midorima.

"Ehhh? Aomine-cchi?" This time, Kise turned toward the real Akashi.

"I'm here, you idiot!" scowled the real Aomine. "I'm in Murasakibara's body. This is Tetsu in Akashi's body, and that's Akashi in my body."

"Man, what a pain… " sighed Murasakibara. "Mine-chin, hand over Mido-chin's mirror, won't you?"

"No fair, Murasakibara-cchi! I asked first!" Kise flew toward Murasakibara, who was about to take the mirror from Aomine. Murasakibara might appear torpid, but when someone was snatching something from him – especially something he wanted very much at the moment – the inner beast in him would awaken.

"I had it first, Kise-chin!" he snapped. "It's mine!"

Next moment, the pair had evolved into all-out tussling, trying to seize the mirror from its unfortunate bearer.

" _O – Oi!_ Get off, you crazy bastards!" yelled Aomine, staggering under their combined weight.

In the ensuing chaos, the hand mirror slipped out of Aomine's hand and crashed to the floor.

Kise and Murasakibara froze mid-fight. The noise of shattered glass seemed to hang in the air. Everyone was staring at the shards as though hypnotised.

Midorima was more livid than they had ever seen him.

"KISE," he thundered in a frightening, unrecognisable voice. "MURASAKIBARA!"

Murasakibara was still as a statue. Kise tried to take refuge behind him as Midorima advanced on them, stopping only when they were a foot apart, sparks flying from his eyes.

" _It would seem you have given up the will to live,_ " said Midorima ominously, looming over them until his shadow darkened their figures.

Kise and Murasakibara cowered.

"Kuroko-cchi – save us!" whimpered Kise, fixing Kuroko with tearful eyes.

Kuroko heaved a sigh. He supposed he ought to intervene; Midorima looked ready to commit dual homicide. He stepped up to the Oha-Asa fanatic.

"Midorima-kun, please restraint yourself. It would be pointless to destroy your own body, and I would like mine to be unharmed as well, if you don't mind."

Midorima stiffened, but he didn't move. Kuroko inclined his head.

"Midorima-kun… ?"

Suddenly, Midorima whirled around, fuming.

"Forget it!" he said snappishly. "Not just today's luck, but seven years' worth of it… _gone_ …"

So that was why he was upset.

"Midorima-kun, it's just a superstition," Kuroko assured him. "I'm sure your luck will be fine."

Now that the beast had been contained, Kise and Murasakibara could catch their breaths again.

"I had no idea you could look so frightening, Kise-chin," whined Murasakibara, as Kise slipped to the floor, trying to steady his heartbeat.

"You're telling me? I never even knew I could look like that," he wheezed. "Midorima-cchi sure is scary… "

They remained in this way; Kuroko pacifying the grumpy Midorima, Murasakibara standing in a sort of stupor, and Kise slumped on the floor, panting.

"Ah, mo… " Unable to take it, the Teikou ace made his way toward the sorry scene.

"Are you planning to wipe the floor with your butt?" he demanded of Kise, at the same time giving the young model a hand up.

"Eh? Oh, thanks Mura… hm?" Kise blinked. "Aomine-cchi, did you just help me?"

" _Ah?_ Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, it's just… you don't usually extend your hand to others. Is it because I look like Kuroko-cchi?"

"HUH? What the hell are you saying, you moron?!"

"I mean… you and Kuroko-cchi are closer than any of us."

" _So?_ "

"'So I thought you would care for him more."

"You bastard! What are you implying?"

"Eh? But I – "

"Do you want your teeth knocked out?!"

"EHHH?"

"Stop it, you two!" admonished Momoi, who had finally managed to straighten out their identities in her head. She glared at Aomine. "Now isn't the time to be fighting."

"Sa-cchin, I'm hungry," said Murasakibara unexpectedly, rubbing his stomach.

Kise and Aomine blinked. It was as though their argument had suddenly been forgotten – next moment, the two Miracles emitted loud hoots of laughter, hugging their ribs tightly.

"Kise-kun, Aomine-kun… you're laughing too much," chided Kuroko.

"Mo… guess it can't be helped," sighed Momoi fretfully, as Kise and Aomine kept up their fits of mirth. "All of you wait here; I'm not having you wander around the neighbourhood in the middle of an identity crisis."

Moments later, the team found themselves sitting around in the bunk, sans manager.

"I'm hungry," whined Murasakibara once more. The subject of food seemed to have taken his mind off their main dilemma.

"Momoi-san has gone out to buy our breakfast, Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko reminded him.

"But she's taking waaay too long!"

"The hell are you saying? She just left, didn't she?" pointed out Aomine. He had his back against the wall, a basketball spinning loosely on the tip of his finger.

Murasakibara gave no notice that he had heard Aomine's statement; instead, he was watching the prodigy with languid fascination.

"Ehh… So this is what I look like spinning a basketball, huh? Maybe I should do it more often… "

Kise's spirits had returned; he was now chatting energetically with Kuroko.

"This is awesome! Now I get to understand what it feels like to be you, Kuroko-cchi!" he gushed, one-arm embracing Kuroko happily.

"You're being a little too enthusiastic about this, Kise-kun," said Kuroko exasperatedly. "And please let go – you're suffocating me."

Kise sportingly complied. "It's a little creepy hugging you in this body, Kuroko-cchi," he grinned, "but hearing Akashi-cchi speaking so politely is even creepier. Still, I'll always know that it's you on the inside!"

"I'm flattered, Kise-kun, but please keep your feelings in check."

"By the way, Kuroko-cchi... " said Kise, lowering his voice surreptitiously, "don't you think that Akashi-cchi is being awfully quiet?"

"Hm? Isn't that how he usually is?"

"Not at all," said Midorima, who had been keeping up with the conversation. "He seems to be preoccupied."

Indeed, Akashi was slouched in a corner, a brooding expression on his face.

Midorima was observing him intently. It was unlike the Captain to be so moody.

"Midorima-cchi, why do you keep adjusting your imaginary glasses?"

"Hm?" Midorima looked round. "It's a habit nanodayo."

"Do you want them back, Mido-chin?" asked Murasakibara, casually removing Midorima's glasses and proffering them to him.

Midorima shook his head. "You need it more than me now, Murasakibara."

"'Wow! This is the first time I've seen Midorima-cchi without his glasses!" exclaimed Kise, leaning close to Murasakibara. "Midorima-cchi, why don't you switch to contacts? You might get girls for a change."

"Midorima-kun would definitely look better with contacts," agreed Kuroko.

"Could we please change the subject? It's getting on my nerves nanodayo."

"Oh, _right!_ The only topic of interest for you is your dear sweet _Oha-Asa,_ " grinned Aomine. "So what does she have to say about today, Fanatic Midorima?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary nanodayo. And do not call me that, Aomine!"

"But it suits you, Midorima-cchi!" laughed Kise. "Doesn't it, Kuroko-cchi?"

"It does not, you moron."

"This whole body-swapping business is a real mystery, isn't it?" voiced out Kuroko, who had been thinking about it. "I'm curious to know how it happened."

"Who knows? We've been tagged as the Generation of Miracles after all."

"'We're a miracle unto ourselves', is what you're trying to say then, Aomine-kun?"

"Whoa! That's pretty deep, Aomine-cchi. I'm impressed."

"Of course! Basketball isn't my only forte, ya know!" Aomine smirked and gave the spinning ball an extra burst of speed.

"Liar," said Midorima curtly, and the ball's motion broke.

"AH?" Aomine turned to skewer Midorima with a glare. "What did you say, you bastard Asa Fanatic?!"

At that moment, Momoi returned with bags of takeaway food swinging wildly from her hands.

"I'm back!" she announced, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Oh, that was quick!"

"You're fast, Momoi-san."

"Well, the shop was just down the street. And there wasn't anyone in the queue, so the orders didn't take long at all."

"Hooray! Ramen!" cheered Murasakibara.

"Murasakibara, you're not allowed to have second servings," ordered Midorima sharply. 'I will not have my physique be threatened by your bottomless appetite nanodayo.''

"But Mido-chin, I never get fat," protested Murasakibara, looking discontented at being denied his extra servings. "Look, Sa-cchin even bought three extras for me."

"No means no, nanodayo."

"Whaat? Mido-chin – you'd let your own body starve?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Then, let me have two extras."

"No means no, nanodayo!"

"Aaah – put a sock in it, you two!" said Aomine in annoyance.

"Thank you for the food, Momoi-san," said Kuroko, accepting his ramen box from Momoi. The pink-haired manager flushed and beamed at him.

"Don't mention it, Tetsu-kun! Let's dig in, shall we?"

"Right. _Itadakimasu._ "

The group started on their breakfast. Meanwhile, Murasakibara and Midorima were still at each other's throats.

"What part of you doesn't understand the meaning of 'no', you moron?!"

"Don't be such a brute, Mido-chin… "

"A brute, am I? Is it a crime to adhere to a diet, then?!"

"Shintarou," said Akashi suddenly, plunking down his chopsticks, "let Atsushi do what he likes."

"What?" Midorima looked indignant.

"Hooray!" Murasakibara proceeded to opening the first ramen box.

"Atsushi," said Akashi coolly, "you may eat however much you want. I shall simply add fifty push-ups for every extra bite you take."

Midorima blinked as Murasakibara froze, noodles halfway to his mouth.

 _Trust Akashi to come up with such an efficient strategy,_ marvelled Midorima, impressed despite himself. If there was anything Murasakibara hated more than he loved food, it was work.

Sure enough, even though Murasakibara's face was a little sour as he slurped up his ramen, he didn't so much as glance at the remaining three boxes, which were later polished off by Aomine and Kise.

When Akashi was done eating, he pushed away his box and stood up.

"I want everyone gathered at the court in their basketball attires by the next half hour. We need to have a talk about our training."


	3. Chapter 3

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Three**

 _Four Days Ago..._

"As you all know, we have an upcoming match against Kaisei next Saturday," announced Akashi, during one of the Teikou team's training sessions. "Although it's only a practice match, they are still one of the best-calibre teams in Japan. As such, we will be having a training camp over the weekend. Momoi has agreed to facilitate the necessary arrangements."

"To hell with it," said Aomine disdainfully, twisting a pinkie in his ear. "We cinched the last two championships without a hitch. This match will be a piece of cake."

Murasakibara looked round at once. "Eh… ? There'll be cakes at the match?" he asked hopefully.

"I said, it'll be a piece of cake, you dolt!"

"Nevertheless," said Akashi calmly, "we cannot let our guards down. Being the best means giving our best. I will see you in court this Saturday, everyone."

 _Present Day..._

"He's late," complained Aomine, arms crossed impatiently. "What's he doing – bawling his eyes out in the bathroom?"

Kuroko frowned. Concerned, Kise peered askance at him.

"What's up, Kuroko-cchi?"

Kuroko shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that… I can't picture a crying Akashi-kun."

Aomine snorted loudly, but he stopped almost immediately when the court door slid open, revealing their team Captain in uniform.

The team gathered in a semicircle. Momoi sat on the bench, listening to the conversation with her brows puckered.

"Listen up," said Akashi shortly. "Until we figure out how we can revert back, we have to assume that we are playing against Kaisei in this state."

"And yesterday's training was going so well, too," lamented Kise, running a hand through his hair and sighing.

"Our first focus for today will be to find out how much and how well we can utilise our abilities," continued Akashi. In spite of having Aomine's eyes, his gaze pierced the group like ice, and they couldn't help but stiffen. "Having a different body is no small matter. It could bring about drastic changes to your gameplay."

"Speaking of which… " said Momoi, with a puzzled glance at Kuroko, Midorima and Aomine. "Didn't the three of you notice anything? I mean, you had to have come across a mirror at some point."

"Ah…" said Kuroko softly, "it's because the bathroom lights were out of order."

"Finding the flush handle was a challenge in itself, let alone realising we had transformed into our teammates," grunted Aomine, recalling the troublesome experience.

"But Midorin was carrying a hand mirror right? Didn't you get a glimpse of your reflection?"

"It was a lucky item nanodayo," said Midorima, as if this settled it.

When they continued to look perplexed, he added exasperatedly, "I do not purchase hand mirrors for grooming nanodayo."

"Akashi-cchi is right, though. Our plays will be different now that we have this whole body-switching business going on."

"Midorima-kun should be fine," said Kuroko, with an upward glance at the Miracle. "He managed to score a three-pointer earlier."

"No," said Midorima. "I was able to make the shot because Kise's body is not so different from mine, but I could still feel an imbalance in my shooting form."

"Come to think of it, you haven't taped up your fingers," observed Aomine.

"I had intended to start training early nanodayo," said Midorima, pushing up his non-existent glasses.

"Ya know, you gotta stop doing that. It makes it look like your nose bridge is itching."

"Midorin, shall I buy you a pair of non-prescription glasses?" offered Momoi.

"That… would be ideal," said Midorima, after some consideration. He was too used to his glasses, and shooting hoops without them felt odd. Midorima disliked feeling out of place.

"Alright. I'll buy Mukkun contacts too, while I'm at it. I don't think he knows how fragile spectacles can be."

"What's up with him anyway?" said Aomine, lifting his chin in Murasakibara's direction. Murasakibara had been sulking in a nearby corner since they'd entered the court.

"Mukkun's still moping about the new rule," said Momoi sympathetically. "Honestly, I don't know how much more of this he can take. Hey Akashi-kun, what about letting him eat fruits instead? At least he'll have something to get his teeth into."

"Fine," said Akashi, "but keep it at that. It is unlikely that Shintarou's body can withstand Atsushi's appetite."

"Though a flabby Midorima would make an interesting sight," grinned Aomine.

"Be quiet nanodayo," scowled Midorima.

"As I was saying," said Akashi, "our main focus today will be on acclimatisation. We will simulate a court match and stick to our game styles. Momoi shall be reviewing our plays."

Akashi had altered the training pattern. They would be split into two teams, with Kuroko, Kise and Aomine being on one team, and Midorima, Murasakibara and Akashi being on the other.

As everyone but Murasakibara made their way to the left end of the court, Aomine glanced back at the others.

"Damn… playing against myself is beyond weird, and the fact that it's Akashi makes it even worse..."

"I feel strange too. It's like playing with a twin," agreed Kuroko, staring intently at Kise.

"Don't do that, Kuroko-cchi. It makes you look more like Akashi-cchi," shuddered Kise.

Kuroko blinked apologetically.

"Sorry, Kise-kun. Please don't let it affect your play later."

"What? That's mean!"

Murasakibara looked distinctly unhappy. He had taken his usual position under the net, but he pouted like he was having indigestion, and his arms were crossed so tightly they had to be cutting off his blood circulation.

"Murasakibara looks more like Midorima now," commented Aomine, as they waited for the others to catch up. The Teikou ace couldn't wait for the game to start – body-swapped or not, he was confident he would play just as well.

Kise, being the designated game starter, took his position behind the midcourt line. Although he had been overjoyed to find himself in Kuroko's body, as he stood facing the court and his teammates, the more negative implications hit home. Looking around, he was suddenly fully aware that everyone towered above him.

 _So this is what it's like to be Kuroko-cchi,_ he thought a little nervously. Akashi was right – being in another's body was not something to be taken lightly. When it came down to it, would he be able to retain his style of play?

"You may begin." Akashi tossed the ball over to Kise, who caught it, startled. He stared at the hands gripping the rough rubber. Unfamiliar hands.

Would they betray him in the game?

"Damn it, Kise! You crystal-gazing or something?" snapped Aomine impatiently.

Kise shook his head to clear it. He was being stupid. _Stop worrying and start rolling,_ he told himself.

Kise let the ball drop. It bounced once, twice, gaining rhythm. His breathing grew steadier. The transition from middle school teenager to basketball specialist stoked his confidence, and he tensed his muscles.

Akashi was in front of him, taking a defensive stance. The blond Miracle lunged forward, streaking past the Captain like a whirlwind. It surprised him how easily he could pass Akashi, but he pushed on determinedly. He was halfway past the inside when he found his way barred by Midorima. Before Midorima could execute his defence, Kise raised the ball, preparing to shoot.

Then he hesitated. The net wasn't too far off, but being in Kuroko's body, he wasn't sure if he could land a shot with both feet on the ground. Thinking fast, he pushed off, switching rapidly to a fadeway.

Even before he left the floor, Kise felt the dip in his jumping power.

Midorima leapt up, arm outstretched; watching his own body rise before him, Kise had a brief moment to take in the bizarreness of the situation before the ball left his hands. Again, he noticed that its speed was relatively weaker. No sooner had it taken flight than Midorima caught it in mid-air and dropped down after him.

"Stop," called Akashi clearly.

Everyone relaxed their stances, and Midorima shifted the ball so that it was pressing against his side, once more adjusting his non-existent glasses.

"Ryouta." Akashi approached the blond Miracle, his face almost impassive. "You missed."

Kise fixed Akashi with a long stare.

"Akashi-cchi," he said at last, "you let me pass just now, didn't you?"

"I wanted to see how you would do," stated the Captain. "It is just as I predicted. You're in Tetsuya's body now, so your overall strength is significantly reduced. You're still fast, but no longer have the power to perform up to your usual standards."

The words hit him hard. Kise studied his hands, eyes hidden by his blue fringe.

Suddenly, he gave a forced laugh. "Seems like I'm out of my league, huh?" He rubbed the back of his head, grinning rather widely.

Akashi gazed at him contemplatively. "You can be of use yet. Make use of this practice session to work your way around the problem."

Kise executed a two-finger salute and winked. "Roger that, ol' Cap."

Kuroko and Aomine exchanged looks. Akashi glanced sharply at Midorima, who nodded and positioned himself on the line, looking grimmer than usual as he let the ball bounce back and forth.

In a flash, Aomine was in front of him.

"Not so fast, Megane," he said, eyes narrowed.

Midorima regarded him warily. Having the ace of the Miracles in Murasakibara's body was like handing a panther a suit of armour.

Or was it?

A ghost of a smile appeared on Midorima's face. With deliberation, he lunged to the right and then doubled back, beaming past Aomine.

The Teikou ace's eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, Midorima had landed his second three-pointer of the day.

Kise's jaw dropped. "No way! Midorima-cchi got past Aomine-cchi?"

Aomine couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Damn it!" The Teikou ace stormed toward Midorima, glowering. "Midorima! Since when were you so bloody quick?"

"You are the one that has slowed down," said Midorima critically. "Having a larger body compromises your agility. Surely you should have realised such an important drawback?"

His words were like a blow. Aomine balled his hands. Slowed down? Was that what had happened? He couldn't believe it; such an undermining phrase did not exist in his dictionary.

"Aomine-kun, please don't worry. The point of this match is to help us learn how to adapt to these bodies. Now that you've found out your weakness, the next step is to eliminate it. Don't lose heart," said Kuroko assuringly.

"Ah, mo." Aomine swiped his hair furiously. With a huge sigh, he forced himself to regain his cool, and stared at Kuroko wearily. "It's weird getting advice from Akashi."

"Don't lose heart, Aomine-cchi," repeated Kise, smiling consolingly. He watched Midorima dribbling the ball and added thoughtfully, "Midorima-cchi sure is lucky to get a body he can work with."

"I'm sorry, Kise-kun," said Kuroko, feeling bad. "Being in my body must be hard…"

"Don't say that, Kuroko-cchi. I get what it's like to be you now. I still can't believe you can pull off those incredible passes. You truly are an amazing guy!"

Kuroko's remorseful expression gave way to a rare smile. "So are you, Kise-kun."

Kise laughed, throwing an arm around Kuroko and squeezing his friend affectionately. "Great minds think alike, huh?"

"Quit spooning, weirdos. Everyone's waiting," said Aomine irritably.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" teased Kise mischievously, elbowing Aomine.

The Teikou ace snorted scathingly. "The only green guy around here is Murasakibara."

There was a whooshing noise, and Aomine whipped round to see the ball dropping through the hoop.

"That was for me," said Midorima aloofly.

Kise gave an admiring whistle.

"Nothin' but net!" he said, shielding his eyes with a hand. " _Man,_ I looked good."

"Don't encourage him!" exclaimed Aomine, infuriated. "Or rather, if you saw him shooting why the hell didn't you stop him?"

Kise shrugged, grinning. "I wanted to see how I'd look dropping a three."

"It's your fault for not paying attention nanodayo, moron," said Midorima curtly.

"You damn Megane – !"

"Instead of throwing a futile tantrum, why don't you focus on making up for the six points you lost?"

"You bastard! Just you wait – I'll take you down, taped fingers and all!"

"Good work, Shintarou," said Akashi, as Midorima jogged past him. "It would seem you have no trouble maintaining your three-point range for now." The Captain paused for a moment. "'But your form was a little off. Will you be able to keep this up?"

Midorima halted.

''i will do my best," he said, after a moment's pause.

"Very well," nodded Akashi approvingly. "Hand over possession to Atsushi next; I want to see how he fares."

Side note: Heaps of gratitude to the anon who pointed out some of the incongruity in the story! I do apologise for any mistakes made (-_-)ゞ゛


	4. Chapter 4

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Four**

Murasakibara was miserable. Being denied of food was the worst possible thing that had happened to him since the shop across his house had stopped selling his favourite _maiubo_ snack.

The vantage point wasn't terrific either; all he saw from the other end of the court was a mixture of colourful blurs – Yellow Blur had just stolen the ball from Sky-Blue Blur, who was now speaking to Navy-Blue Blur while the rest of the Blurs stood watching.

 _What a pain…_ sighed Murasakibara. He longed for things to go back to the way they had been, before this Rainbow Mayhem had struck. Sleepiness stole over him. He yawned. If only he could catch a break; he had intended to have a couple more hours of sleep. Besides, it didn't seem as if the ball would be reaching this end of the court anytime soon…

"You want Murasakibara to start?" Midorima questioned his Captain. Murasakibara technically being a centre, the order took Midorima by surprise.

Akashi shook his head. "No, Shintarou. I want you to assist him. He will not learn anything from skulking under the net all day. I need to see him in action."

"Um… I think you're going to have a problem with that," said Kise, staring behind them with his eyebrows raised.

The other Miracles turned to look.

Murasakibara was sloped against the basketball stand, eyes shut and mouth wide open.

For several seconds, the team simply stared at him.

"MURASAKIBARA," raged Midorima, stomping forward – if he'd had glasses, they would have been flashing like headlights – "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Murasakibara jerked awake. Squinting blearily, he made out the yellow blur that was Midorima glaring at him.

"Ah?" he groaned. Next to starvation and losing a match, Murasakibara's least favourite thing in the world was being rudely disrupted from naps. "Can't you see? I'm resting."

"AND WHO'S GOING TO GUARD THE NET WHILE YOU'RE SKIVING OFF?"

"Midorin, cool down – Mukkun's just feeling a little peevish," said Momoi. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Mukkun! Please cooperate, OK? If you play well, I'll treat you to _tofu anmitsu_ later!"

Murasakibara frowned in confusion. Hadn't Akashi explicitly told him to steer clear of food?

Momoi seemed to have read his mind.

"Akashi says that fruits are fine! You can eat however much you want!" she said.

Murasakibara's displeasure ebbed a little. Fruits, huh? _Tofu anmitsu_ wasn't exactly a classic delicacy, but it was still food. And food was better than nothing.

"Fine… " Listlessly, Murasakibara peeled himself off the metal stand.

"Ha ha ha! Man, I should have recorded that! A bored Midorima dozing off in the middle of practice!" Aomine slapped his thigh, doubling up with laugher.

"You won't be laughing when we defeat you nanodayo," said Midorima matter-of-factly.

Aomine's hilarity died instantly.

"Bring it on!" he growled, stabbing a finger at Midorima. "I'll show you who's ace in this team!"

"I think they've forgotten the original purpose of our practice," Kuroko told Kise worriedly.

Kise simply waved his hand. "It's fine! Nothing like a little competition to get things going!"

Midorima returned to the midcourt line, Aomine's eyes still locked on him like lasers. Akashi was observing the team quietly from the sidelines. Midorima wondered why the Captain hadn't shown his cards yet. He never could tell what Akashi was thinking… even before the change that had come over him. Maybe it was why he kept getting beaten in shogi.

At any rate, something else worried Midorima. In spite of his shooting streak, something still felt off. Was he going about it wrong? Or was it because those over-excited monkeys had wrecked his lucky item? No, he had been feeling it even before that, back when he'd met first met Kuroko in the court…

Aomine's death stare was interrupted when he felt something brush his arm. Looking down, he saw Akashi – no… _Tetsu,_ he reminded himself – gazing up at him.

"Don't worry, Aomine-kun," said Kuroko softly. His normally gentle eyes were filled with determination. "I'm going to try my luck."

Aomine gazed back at him, not fully comprehending. But before he could probe Kuroko further, Midorima had begun hurtling toward the basket.

 _Shoot!_ Aomine charged toward his target, successfully cutting off his route. He noted with relief that he could close long distances fast, but smaller movements still failed him. Now that he was armed with the knowledge, Aomine became aware of the difference between his old speed and his current one. Murasakibara had to be about thirty pounds heavier. It was a sizeable gap; no wonder Midorima had said he was slower. Aomine bared his teeth briefly, cursing his luck.

Midorima worked the ball swiftly; as fast as Aomine was, he was outpaced by a nanosecond. Midorima shouted, "Murasakibara!" before hurling the ball past Aomine.

Murasakibara spread out his arms, ready to receive the pass. But something unexpected happened; as the ball shot toward him, it suddenly veered off-course and headed for the Teikou ace instead.

Caught unawares, Aomine received the ball a little too hard. He looked up, hands stinging from the impact, and saw Kuroko standing on the exact same spot where the ball had changed direction.

"Kuroko!" Midorima cursed, having forgotten about the Phantom Miracle. Aomine's feisty grin was back. He flashed Kuroko a victory sign and drove toward the basket, weaving around Murasakibara like a spider. With vicious force, the Teikou ace slammed the ball into the net.

"Alright! Way to go, Tetsu!" Aomine gave Kuroko a high-five.

Midorima pushed up his nonexistent glasses. "It would seem that Kuroko's Misdirection still functions," he said, not too happily.

"It's awesome, isn't it? His lack of presence must be an innate quality," beamed Kise.

"That's one up on you, Midorima," said Aomine gloatingly, sending Midorima a thumbs-down.

Midorima seemed unperturbed.

"You may have scored, idiot, but you haven't beaten me yet," he said matter-of-factly.

Aomine's vein popped out again. " _Ah?_ And who said I was done, you moron?"

"Surprises, surprises." Momoi smiled at Akashi, who was standing next to her, watching the scene. "Who knew that and Tetsu-kun and Aomine-kun could still work their team play under these conditions?"

"Daiki's power and long distance speed are still intact, but he has to learn to adapt to his present weight," said Akashi simply. "Until he does, he will never regain his former agility."

His words were calm, but he seemed distracted. Momoi observed the Captain a little more closely. It was the same look he got when things weren't going his way, which was pretty rare.

Akashi bit his lip. "Too slow… " he muttered. He stepped forward, gaining his team's attention. "We are moving too slow, everyone. This isn't like us. From now on, I want you all to play as if this were a real match. Otherwise – " he fixed them with a cold stare, "– I will personally submit a letter of forfeit to the Kaisei Captain."

There was an extremely shocked silence.

The Miracles exchanged looks of consternation as Momoi gave a nervous laugh.

"Come on, Akashi-kun! Don't you think this is a little – ?"

"I know what I'm doing, Momoi. You don't have to look so concerned."

"But I _am!_ There's less than a week left to the competition – "

"More than enough time, then."

"Mo!" Momoi grimaced as Akashi slipped from her grasp. Teikou sure had picked a hardcore captain.

"Oi," muttered Aomine, eyeing Akashi warily. "Is he for real?"

"I think he is," said Kuroko, frowning.

Kise grabbed his head agitatedly. "This is not good! We can't afford to lose! Our names will be tarnished!"

Aomine scowled. "Not to mention we'll never be able to play basketball again."

At that, Kise went into full-blown panic mode.

" _Nooooooo! I don't want that!"_

"Don't frighten him, Aomine-kun. Kise-kun is under the most pressure now," rebuked Kuroko.

"Like I care! You want to talk pressure, try running the floor with an excess of thirty friggin' pounds of meat!"

" _Nooooo! My career is oveeerrr!"_

"Be quiet, you rambunctious idiots!" snapped Midorima. "If people could see us now, we won't even have a reputation to bury nanodayo."

"Can I go back under the net now?" asked Murasakibara lazily.

"You're the worst nanodayo! Aren't you even the least bit concerned? You haven't even started playing for real!"

"That's because Kuro-chin stole my ball…"

"If being in your body slows even Aomine down, I expect you should be able to move twice as fast in mine nanodayo."

"But I'm sleepy, Mido-chin… "

"Murasakibara-kun," interrupted Kuroko suddenly. "Remember how Akashi-kun reacted when you wanted your second serving of ramen? Imagine what he'll do if we lose the game."

That got Murasakibara's attention.

"Good one, Kuroko," said Midorima, as Murasakibara tramped back to the perimeter. "You're good at handling idiots like him."

"And Midorima-kun is good at shooting."

"You don't have to return the compliment nanodayo."

"But it's true."

"My point still stands nanodayo."

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Midorima-kun."

"I am not embarrassed!"

"Didn't you know, Tetsu? Midorima-cchi is a real _tsundere_ ," grinned Aomine wickedly.

Kuroko blinked and said slowly, "Is that so? I had no idea… "

Infuriated with the lot, Midorima stormed away.

"Tetsuya," said Akashi, beckoning Kuroko over to the line.

Kuroko trotted over obediently, catching the ball that the Captain tossed to him. As he bounced it, the other Miracles got into position.

 _Tetsu will pass to one of us,_ predicted Aomine, hands on his knees as he studied the situation. _But the way Kise is now, I don't think it's a good idea to let him have the ball. I guess it'll be up to me._

 _Kuroko will pass the ball to Aomine,_ speculated Midorima. _I have to stay close to him. At the very least, I should be able to block his shots nanodayo._

Aomine blinked; Midorima had just stepped in front of him. He scowled.

 _Marking me, are you? Like I'd let you get in the way, you Megane!_

Kuroko lobbed the ball high. It caught everyone unawares; the Phantom's shots were usually at ground level.

 _An overhead!_ cursed Midorima. He should have seen it coming – with the advantage of height, Aomine would be able to reach the ball first.

Both Aomine and Midorima leapt up, arms outstretched. As predicted, Aomine seized the ball first. He hit the ground running before Midorima had time move.

Murasakibara closed in, but he was no match for Aomine's skilful footwork, and the Teikou ace managed to overshoot him.

Midorima glanced at his Captain in frustration. What was Akashi _doing?_

As Aomine neared the net, he grinned. As he'd thought – body-swapped or no, he was still the best. He lifted off, going for a chest shot.

The ball soared clear over the backboard.

Aomine's smile vanished. He dropped down, staring at where the ball had disappeared.

"WHAT?"

"Whoa! Aomine-cchi, you've gone overboard!" joked Kise.

"I never thought I would see Aomine-kun would make an air shot," remarked Kuroko.

"This is what you get for putting on airs nanodayo," said Midorima smugly.

"Shut up!" yelled Aomine furiously. It had been years since he had missed the net, let alone the entire stand altogether. It stung his pride something awful.

"Daiki, you were being overconfident," said Akashi sharply. "Do not let your guard down just because you are open, especially when you are not attuned to Atsushi's body."

"Damn it!" Aomine stomped the floor angrily. This was getting from bad to worse. How could he call himself the ace of the Miracles if he couldn't even keep his shots alive?

For the next round, Aomine was appointed the game starter.

"Aomine-kun, try passing the ball to Kise-kun," advised Kuroko, as Aomine stood seething on the midcourt line.

"Ah?" Aomine scowled. He wasn't in a giving mood. On top of his unforeseen debilitation, he was itching to get back at Midorima. But the image of Kise's despondent face from a while back made him give in.

"Fine!" he said. "But he'd better not let that Megane get the better of him this time!"

Kuroko nodded and backed into the perimeter. Kise crashed into him.

"Yikes! Sorry, Akashi – I mean, Kuroko-cchi… "

Kuroko frowned as Kise moved to the other side of the perimeter. He could understand if Kise hadn't seen him, but his teammate should be able to distinguish their identities by now. _The stress is already getting to them_ , he noted. This was not good.

Aomine bounced the ball, looking bad-tempered. He was still in denial of the fact that his skills were degenerate. Maybe if he just faked a sprint to the left, he would be able to bypass the damn Megane and land a two…

But no, he had promised that he would pass the ball to Kise…

 _Tch._ Aomine caught the ball mid-bounce. "Kise!'' he yelled, pitching the ball to where he thought his teammate was.

Ten feet away, Midorima caught the pass.

"Aomine-cchi!" cried Kise in dismay. Aomine froze as he realised his mistake. But it was too late – Midorima, who had paused in a moment of confusion, shot up and let the ball fly. It sank through the rim without so much as a clatter.

Aomine was still frozen in shock.

"Aomine-cchi, you're terrible! I was wide open, too!" whined Kise, waving his arms in frustration.

" _Ah…"_ Aomine pinched his forehead. He had let his previous slip affect his concentration. _What a stupid blunder._

Kuroko looked worried.

"Aomine-kun, are you alright?" he asked.

Aomine shook his head. ''I think I need a time-out… "

"Very well," said Akashi, coming forward. "We will take a five-minute break. Make use of it to clear your thoughts, Daiki. Your performance today has not been not up to scratch.''

 _Like I need telling,_ scowled Aomine inwardly.

As soon as the break was announced, Murasakibara immediately flumped onto his back.

"I'm hungry…" he whined. His stomach was growling, and his vision swam like a mirage. How Midorima could live on such scarcity was beyond his understanding.

Kuroko's head appeared, blocking out the ceiling.

"Murasakibara-kun, are you alright? Maybe you should grab a drink."

"Water has no fixed shape," protested Murasakibara, closing his eyes. "I need something with a fixed shape..."

Kuroko tilted his head, puzzled.

"Tetsu-kun." Momoi came sidling up to him, looking forlorn. "The team's falling apart, Tetsu-kun. First Ki-chan, then Aomine-kun, and now it's Mukkun. What should we do?"

Kuroko couldn't think of a reply. He was at a loss, too.


	5. Chapter 5

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Five**

"Maybe we should take it up with Akashi-kun," proposed Kuroko after some thought.

Momoi shook her head. "Akashi-kun may not look it, but he's rattled too. I asked him just now whether it had been a good idea to pull out that threat. He just looked at me with those expressionless eyes – which were a hundred times creepier, by the way, them being Aomine-kun's eyes, and you have no idea how weird it is hearing Aomine-kun speak so quietly – he said, 'Sometimes you have to apply a little pressure to keep your tools sharp.'"

Kuroko nodded knowingly. "That's Akashi-kun, alright."

Momoi pouted at once. "No, it's not alright! It all boils down to how well the team can play by this Saturday!"

Kuroko could tell that his manager was getting upset.

"Well… why don't we give them some time?" he advised. "It's only the first day. And we still have after-school practices next week. Don't worry about it, OK?"

He mussed her hair gently. Momoi's eyes widened, and a blush travelled through her face.

"O-OK…" she said, not quite meeting his eyes. _Kyaaa... Tetsu-kun touched me!_ Heart drumming, she held her cheeks and made her way giddily back to the bench.

"What's up, Tetsu?" frowned Aomine.

Kuroko jumped; it had to be a first that he was the one who was startled, and not the other way round.

Aomine was staring at the brooding Murasakibara.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Oh," said Kuroko. "Murasakibara-kun is feeling under the weather."

"He'll get a real thunderstorm if he doesn't get his butt off the floor," scowled Aomine. "Oi! Get up, you lazy bum!"

"Noisy," groaned Murasakibara, curling up on himself. "Mido-chin is a tyrant… "

"I'm not Midorima, idiot. Now get up. You're the next designated game starter."

Kuroko blinked in surprise. Murasakibara was the game starter now? Was Akashi having them take it in turns? Strange…

Murasakibara dragged himself up unwillingly. He did look indisposed. Kuroko felt sorry for him, but he knew that Akashi wouldn't let them off until they played up to his expectations.

Murasakibara lethargically trudged toward the line, wondering vaguely whether it was lunchtime yet. Their measly breakfast seemed ages ago. He was fed up with this game. When were they going to eat? He didn't even remember how the ball got into his hands. He turned around sluggishly, seeking his teammates, but all he saw were the usual blurs. What's more, he felt no inclination to dribble.

 _I'll pass to someone,_ he finally decided. _Let's see… Kise-chin is in Mido-chin's body… or was it the other way round? I think Kuro-chin is in Kise-chin's body, which means that Mido-chin is in Kuro-chin… no wait, that's not right…_

"Atsushi." Akashi's warning cut into his thoughts, and Murasakibara remembered that he wasn't supposed to hold the ball for more than five seconds.

But the Captain had his arms folded, so maybe he wasn't in the mood to dribble either.

 _Ah. I'll pass to Mido-chin then…_

Kise's face was almost squashed by the ball; he caught it in the nick of time.

"Wha – ?" He peered over the ball at Murasakibara, who was scratching his head.

"Oh, right…" said Murasakibara, remembering. "That's Kise-chin in there, not Mido-chin… "

Midorima face-palmed himself. _That idiot!_ _How on earth am I supposed to play with him as my teammate?_

Akashi peered at Midorima, frowning. "Shintarou, what are you doing?"

"Akashi," said Midorima exasperatedly, "are you planning something?"

He thought he saw the faintest of smiles cross Akashi's face.

"You guessed it, then?" said Akashi. "I should expect no less from someone who always nearly bests me in shogi."

 _And I expect no less from someone who gives near-compliments nanodayo,_ thought Midorima irritably. It still irked him that he had never won a shogi match.

"So, Shintarou," continued Akashi, "have you heard of the butterfly effect?"

"Ah?" Midorima glanced up, confused.

"It is said that when a butterfly flutters its wings, it can cause a hurricane."

"The only hurricane here would be Murasakibara's Tornado Dunk," said Midorima flatly. "What are you trying to say?"

"That my involvement would alter the flow of the game," said Akashi calmly. "Why do you think I'm shuffling the game starters around?"

Midorima looked startled. "You're rearranging our roles?"

Akashi shook his head. "From what I have seen, there is no need for that. However, it is good that you and Tetsuya are still on form. It would be hard to find replacements for the two of you."

Midorima frowned. He still didn't get the whole picture, but at least he now knew that the Captain hadn't been idling for nothing.

Meanwhile, Kise was a little disoriented.

"Does this mean the ball is ours now?" he asked.

Aomine threw him a look of disbelief.

"Does it need saying? This isn't your first time playing, is it?"

"Eh? It's not that! It's just… Akashi-cchi and Midorima-cchi seem to be a little busy over there… "

"So what? Who asked them not to pay attention? Now go conquer the net before I take it for myself."

 _Whack._ Murasakibara made use of the diversion to knock the ball out of Kise's grip.

"Hey!" yelped Kise.

"This isn't yours, Kise-chin."

"Oi!" Aomine scowled, moving to block Murasakibara. "Give it back, Mido-clone!"

Murasakibara stared at Aomine. His mouth quirked up.

"Eh… a one-on-one against myself, huh… " he drawled. Apparently, being pitted against himself had stirred his interest.

Aomine's scowl deepened. It was hard not to think of Murasakibara as the Asa Fanatic. Well, it would make stealing the ball a lot easier.

Kise stepped in too. "No one steals from me," he said threateningly.

"Two on one?" drawled Murasakibara, gripping the ball with one hand. "That's not fair. Do I intimidate you?"

"As if," snarled Aomine. "Get out of the way, Kise. I'll deal with Mido-clone myself."

"You're the one who needs to go. I won't let off anyone who steals my possessions."

"Ha! You talk big for someone so puny."

" _What?_ You sure are complacent for someone who doesn't even know where the basket is!"

"AH? The hell are you saying, you shorty?!"

" _Shorty?"_

It became a yelling match. The Miracles exchanged insults as the court reverberated with their voices.

Murasakibara glanced from one to the other.

 _Ah… so annoying. I was looking forward to playing against myself, too…_

"Kise-kun, Aomine-kun, please stop fighting already," said Kuroko exasperatedly, going up to the squabbling Miracles to placate them.

Midorima and Akashi returned in time to watch Murasakibara strolling up to the net, dunking so hard that the rim shuddered in protest.

"Divide and conquer," said Akashi placidly, as Murasakibara came back with his hands empty, having been too lazy to pick up the ball. "You did well, Atsushi."

"Eh… not really… "

Midorima went to pry Kise and Aomine apart, but then he started shouting, too. Now there were three voices reverberating throughout the court.

Kuroko sighed. "I never thought the day would come when I would see Kise, Murasakibara and myself in such a fierce conflict," he remarked.

Murasakibara chuckled idly. "A shouting Kuro-chin sure is funny. Oh? Kuro-chin, where are you going?"

For Kuroko had just gone to retrieve his phone.

"Ah, you've stopped," he said upon returning, blinking mismatched eyes at Murasakibara. "Since it's such a rarity, I wanted to take a picture of Midorima-kun laughing."

Murasakibara raised his eyebrows. "Interesting… I want to see it too. Take one now while he's distracted."

"OK."

Murasakibara flashed a smile at the camera.

 _Click_.

"How is it?"

Kuroko scrolled through the album until he arrived at the photo.

They peered at it thoughtfully.

"This is nice," said Kuroko at last. "Midorima-kun definitely looks better when he smiles."

Just then, Midorima stomped into the scene. Apparently, he had managed to stop the fight, but he still looked rather bad-tempered.

"Ah… Mido-chin! Come and look!" said Muraskibara, beckoning Midorima over.

Frowning, Midorima stared at the tiny picture on the screen. His eyes widened.

" _What's the meaning of this?"_

"Oh? Is that Murasakibara-cchi?" Kise and Aomine had butted their way in as well. Aomine took one look at the snapshot and burst out laughing.

"Awesome shot, Tetsu! Send it to me!"

"DON'T YOU DARE! KUROKO, DELETE THIS AT ONCE NANODAYO!"

"Midorima-cchi looks better when he's smiling," said Kise earnestly. "Let's circulate it throughout the school!"

"YOU MORON! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"

"I want to see Aka-chin smiling next," said Murasakibara grinningly.

Kuroko nodded. "Then, let's take a group shot."

"Alright! Let me take it for you!" said Aomine rapturously.

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?"

But no one heeded him. Aomine held up the phone and snapped his fingers. "Alright, people! It's teeth time!"

Murasakibara flung an arm over Kuroko and Kise each, and the trio gave broad grins as the shutter sounded.

They showed the photo to Momoi, who squealed in delight.

"Tetsu-kuuun! A smiling Tetsu-kun! Send it to me please, please, _please!_ "

Midorima gave it up as a bad job.

"Has everyone forgotten that we're in the middle of _practice?_ " he shouted.

"Indeed, Shintarou," said Akashi, appearing suddenly. There was an ominous gleam in his eyes. "Tetsu, Ryouta, Daiki, Atsushi – you seem to be testing my patience."

The group went silent, staring at Akashi as though forgetting that he'd been there the whole time.

"OK – back to business!" said Momoi, with a brisk clap and a rather high laugh. "Come on, guys. Back to your places now!"

"Damn… " muttered Aomine, as the team got back into position a minute later. "I can't imagine what Akashi will do to me if I keep screwing up my play."

"I'm sure you just need a little more time to get used to your body, Aomine-kun."

"You don't understand, Tetsu. It's not just his weight. It's _everything._ If I just take it as it goes, I find myself making mistakes."

And to prove his point, Aomine strode up to where the ball was. "Watch," he told Kuroko, bouncing the ball diagonally. He ducked down and made as if to head left, but he switched directions abruptly, going around Kuroko.

"You see?" The Teikou ace slammed the ball down in frustration. "I can't go all out if I don't feel comfortable in my own skin! It's so damn aggravating!"

Kuroko blinked puzzledly. "What's the problem?"

" _What's the problem?"repeated_ Aomine. "Can't you see? I'm slower now! I'm like a snail with two shells!"

Kuroko scratched his cheek uncomprehendingly. "Aomine-kun – to be honest, your speed is already beyond human."

"What are you talking about? You saw how that damn Megane outpaced me! You know I can move faster than that!"

"It's good enough to flatten Kaisei."

"But you heard Akashi! If we can't match up to our old standards, he'll – "

"– submit a letter of forfeit to their Captain. I know."

Aomine slammed the ball down again. "Ah, mo! Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the struggle."

"I think your opponents struggle more than you, Aomine-kun."

"Hm? Where'd Akashi-cchi go?" came Kise's voice suddenly.

The team looked all around. Akashi had disappeared.

Just then, the court door slide open, and Momoi came running up to them.

"Akashi-kun just got a phone call from the Coach," she said breathlessly. "I told him not to divulge what happened, so he told us to have our lunch while he deals with the situation."

Murasakibara was ecstatic. "Hooray!" he cried. "Gyo-za! Yaki-niku! Don-bu-ri!"

"Finally! I'm starved!" groaned Kise, rubbing his stomach. "Let's go eat!"

"Cu-rry! Fried fish! Tofu an-mi-tsu!"

"Will you shut up already?" snapped Aomine irritably.

"Murasakibara, you need to tape up your left fingers," ordered Midorima, pushing up his imaginary glasses.

Murasakibara stopped chanting at once.

"Eh? Why?" he asked, sounding as if he'd just been asked to scrub the school toilets.

"As long as you are not playing, you will need to keep them taped nanodayo."

"Eh… ? No way! I don't take orders from anyone but Aka-chin."

Momoi sidled up to Midorima.

"That's no good, Midorin," she whispered into his ear. "You know the only way to get through to Mukkun is to bribe him with food."

Midorima flushed with annoyance. Bribery was beneath him, but his left hand was at stake. There was no other choice.

"I… I will treat you to squid ink pasta," he offered grudgingly.

Murasakibara's face lit up at once. Squid ink pasta was one of his favourites.

"Alright! Squid ink pasta, here I come!" And he scampered off to get the tape.

"Whoa! That's got to be a record," exclaimed Kise, scanning Murasakibara's disappearing back.

They had their meals at two separate venues. In the first one, Murasakibara gobbled down his squid ink pasta before the others had taken more than three bites. Then they proceeded to the next eatery, where Murasakibara ordered four extra helpings of _tofu anmitsu._ He stuffed himself so enthusiastically that the tape on his fingers came loose.

"Can't you eat with more dignity?" rebuked Midorima, helping Murasakibara to wind fresh tape around his fingers.

 _Click,_ went Aomine's phone, startling everyone.

"This is going into the school yearbook," smirked the Teikou ace.

A second later, a cucumber slice smacked him on the face.

"YOU BASTARD MEGANE!" Aomine leapt to his feet, seizing Midorima by the front of his shirt.

The whole eatery went quiet. All eyes were on Aomine, who had frozen with his fist still raised.

There was a very prolonged pause.

"Mo! Can't you behave yourself, Aomine-kun?" chided Momoi, half-mad, half-embarrassed. They had left the restaurant right after paying the bill, Aomine still wearing a cranky expression, hands shoved in his pockets.

"That'll teach you to take photos without my consent nanodayo," said Midorima disdainfully.

Aomine merely threw him a dirty look.

They headed toward the departmental store next. Momoi had them wait outside while she rushed off for a round of quick shopping.

"We should have gone in with her," said Aomine irritably. They had been waiting outside the main entrance for a while now.

"She said she wouldn't be long," said Kise.

In that moment, Momoi emerged from the automatic doors.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Here you go, Mukkun, Midorin!"

A rectangular box was thrust into Murasakibara's hands. They were brand new contact lenses.

Murasakibara was intrigued. "Sa-cchin, how'd you know Mido-chin's degree?"

Momoi grinned. "Who do you think has been collecting data on basketball players all this time?" she said, wagging a finger at him.

Midorima was examining his new non-prescription glasses with distaste.

"They're hideous nanodayo."

"Eh?" Momoi was shocked. "No way! I thought they look nice."

"You should have told me you were planning to buy them nanodayo. I would have tried them on myself."

"Well… I wanted it to be a surprise… "

"How is it a surprise if you already told me about it?"

"Mo! Midorin, you're such a grouch! You could at least show some gratitude."

Midorima sighed.

"Fine. Thank you for the… gift, Momoi."

"You're very welcome. Anyway, that will be 2200 yen nanodayo."

"So it's not a gift?! And why are you copying me?"

"He he! I've always wanted to do that. Now pay up! You too, Mukkun."

They returned to the school, Midorima donning his new glasses, and Murasakibara his contacts.

Akashi was waiting for them in the court. He seemed calmer now, much to the others' relief.

"Akashi-kun! Check out Midorima-cchi's new glasses!" said Kise excitedly, gesturing at Midorima's face.

Akashi peered at Midorima. "Glasses, huh?" he said with interest.

"They look good, don't they?" said Momoi, folding her arms proudly.

Midorima sighed. "It's Kise's face you should be complimenting nanodayo."

"Eh? I thought you didn't like them," said Kise in surprise.

"I don't, but Kise wears them perfectly nanodayo."

Kise looked extremely pleased. "I do, don't I?" he said proudly.

"I was being sarcastic."

" _What?_ "

Akashi was now gazing at Murasakibara. "You look quite interesting as well, Shintarou," he said.

"Aka-chin, I'm Atsushi, not Mido-chin," corrected Murasakibara.

"I know."

"Huh? You're confusing me."

"Anyway, I more or less have an idea of what your plays are," said Akashi. "We shall have another round before I re-shuffle the teams."

 _Ugh._ Aomine grimaced. This meant potentially having Midorima as his teammate; he wasn't sure if he could beat the Asa Fanatic by the next round. _Damn that Megane._


	6. Chapter 6

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Six**

"Akashi," said Midorima wearily, when he found himself standing on the midcourt line for the third time that day, "I do not understand why you keep switching the game starters around nanodayo."

Akashi looked sidelong at him. "I told you; it is to assess your plays."

"But didn't you say you already have an idea? Besides, this is affecting our styles nanodayo. It's not how we play in matches."

"This training camp is dedicated to developing each of your individual skills. This is why the other members' presence is not required. This complication, however, has forced me to implement different measures. The reason you are standing there this time, is because I need you to pass the ball to me."

Midorima frowned. Akashi narrowed his eyes at him.

"Think, Shintarou. What happens when you attempt to make a pass?"

"The opposition will try to intercept it," said Midorima. And now he got it. "You're trying to incite a move from Kuroko's team?"

"The two most problematic members are Ryouta and Daiki," said Akashi, nodding affirmatively. "I am trying to bring them back to their former level through manipulative aggression."

 _Manipulative aggression… how very Akashi nanodayo…_

Midorima sighed. "If that's the case, why did you say you will re-shuffle the teams?"

"The flow," said Akashi simply. "A strong river never stops its course."

Midorima frowned.

Meanwhile, a little farther off, Kise was whispering to Kuroko and Aomine.

"… wonder what they're talking about? They've been whispering together all morning."

"Like what you're doing now?" pointed out Aomine.

"I agree with Kise-kun," said Kuroko. "But I don't think it's anything bad..."

"Yes! They must be talking strategy. Haven't you realised? Akashi-cchi hasn't been playing at all. I think he's trying to operate from the shadows."

Aomine snorted loudly.

" _Operate from the shadows?_ What, is he some undercover spy?"

"My orders are absolute," quoted Kuroko unexpectedly.

Kise and Aomine sniggered uncontrollably.

"Good one, Kuroko-cchi! You sounded exactly like him!"

"Make it sound more archaic," encouraged Aomine. "Something like – "

"The wind speaks, and the trees move," said Kise eagerly. "I got it from a historical flick."

"And put his quote at the end," added Aomine.

"The wind speaks, and the trees move. My orders are absolute," uttered Kuroko.

Kise and Aomine went into fits of laughter.

"Nice one, Tetsu!" hooted Aomine.

"My toes have gone numb!" gasped Kise.

Kuroko was exasperated. "If you two have finished, we ought to focus on the game." The way these two alternated between friends and adversaries was unnerving.

The next round began. Midorima got the ball bouncing as Kuroko, Kise and Aomine took their positions. Kise was marking Akashi, and Aomine was on Midorima, not surprisingly.

As Kuroko was moving to an advantageous spot, he noticed something different about Midorima's posture. The Phantom Miracle paused, looking thoughtful.

"Fight me head-on, you coward!" growled Aomine to Midorima. "You can't land threes forever!"

"I am nanodayo, idiot," retorted Midorima. The Teikou ace was obviously assuming that he was going to shoot.

In that moment, a voice to Midorima's left called, "Shintarou!"

 _Akashi._ Immediately, Midorima crossed the ball. Aomine moved; he almost got a hand on it, but Midorima crossed it again and lobbed it at the red-haired figure.

A split second later, he realised his error.

" _Kuroko!"_ he yelled, fuming.

Smiling faintly, Kuroko dribbled toward the hoop with his new catch. Aomine was already paces away, heading in the same direction.

"Awesome move, Tetsu!" he chortled, catching the ball and scoring almost immediately with a jump shot. Murasakibara had leapt up, but Aomine had timed his shot well, and the ball soared just out of his reach.

"Nice!" exclaimed Kise; he was laughing at Kuroko's bluff. Midorima was furious with himself. Murasakibara went up to him, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing.

"You have no right to tell me off, Mido-chin. You gave the ball to Kuro-chin yourself, you know."

"I know nanodayo!" snapped Midorima. He didn't need Murasakibara of all people to tell him off.

"Shintarou, do not lose your focus," Akashi told him sharply. "A simple mistake will cost you dearly in a game."

Midorima simply looked crossed.

The teams were re-shuffled for the next round. Now Kuroko was on the same team as Aomine and Murasakibara. The second team comprised Kise, Midorima and Akashi.

Aomine pumped his fist in the air. Midorima also seemed satisfied with the new arrangement.

"It's time for revenge nanodayo," he said, adjusting his glasses.

Only one person wasn't too happy.

"I want to be on Kuroko-cchi's team!" whined Kise.

"You can still treat us as your teammates, Kise. Just pass the ball our way," grinned Aomine.

Kise gave him a scowl. "How about I throw it at your teeth?" he demanded.

"AH?"

"Please don't start again, you two," said Kuroko wearily. "We only have a few hours left, and I don't think we've made any progress. Please put your mind to the game."

"Hmph," said Aomine. "If Akashi were always this polite, I might listen to him for a change."

"You listen anyway," said Murasakibara languidly.

"Don't you start being like that damn Megane!"

"I'm not."

"Shut up! If I think of you as Midorima, it'll get me fired up."

"But you just told me not to be like him. Besides, aren't we supposed to be teammates now, Mine-chin?"

"Argh! You're getting on my nerves."

"Atsushi, there is no point in dividing and conquering your own team," said Akashi flatly.

"Let them be nanodayo," said Midorima dismissively. "Kise… why are you so close?"

"I just realised how much Kuroko-cchi has to crane his neck to look at me," remarked Kise, peering up at Midorima while twisting his neck awkwardly. "Gosh! It really is tiring. Maybe I'll stoop from now on."

"Kise, that's an insult nanodayo."

"EH?"

They began the next round. This time, Aomine was the designated game starter. He dribbled on the spot, staring down Midorima as if they were the last two contenders on a battlefield.

"I will pay you back for that cheap trick nanodayo," said Midorima menacingly.

"And I'll have to thank Satsuki for giving you the specs," countered Aomine. "Makes it easier to see the _Asa Fanatic_ within."

The Teikou ace drove forward. The ball's motions were never consistent – one moment it was a straight dribble, in the next it was a blurred crossover under his legs. All the while, Aomine kept twisting around, his shoes screeching on the polished hardwood.

 _He's quicker._ The fact registered in Midorima's mind as he worked to keep up. The panther was adapting to its armour.

And then Aomine was past him. Midorima whirled around, readying for a sprint, but Aomine stumbled on his heels and hit the floor facedown.

The ball bounced away on its own.

"Aomine-kun!"

Kuroko ran up to his teammate. Momoi had gotten to her feet too.

"Aomine-kun, are you alright?" asked Kuroko, crouching. Momoi bent down as well, looking worried.

"DAMN IT!" Aomine leapt to his feet, heaving with rage. Blood trickled down his wrecked nose. "WHY THE HELL DID WE HAVE TO SWITCH? AT LEAST LET ME HAVE SWAPPED WITH HORIUCHI-CHAN INSTEAD!"

"Aomine-kun, please refrain from saying that now. It makes you seem like a pervert," said Kuroko.

"I guess making out with the floor was too much," laughed Kise. Even Midorima smiled at that.

" _Mo!_ " Momoi whipped out a hanky and began dabbing at Aomine's nose with it. "Aomine-kun, you should be more careful! Why don't you switch with Mukkun for now?"

"That's what I'd like!" said Aomine in a slightly clogged voice, scowling as Momoi cleaned up his face.

"I mean, take his position. Let him run the floor."

" _Let Murasakibara run the floor?_ We might as well drop dead!"

Akashi looked exasperated.

"It seems we shall have to re-shuffle again," he sighed. "Daiki, switch with me."

"Huh? Tch. Alright… "

"Aomine-kun, you did well," said Kuroko sincerely, patting his teammate on the back. "You got past Midorima-kun. At the very least, your nose is still intact."

Clutching his bleeding nose, Aomine gave a half-snort.

"Beats the day of your debut match, huh?"

Kuroko smiled, recalling the time he had tripped and gotten a nosebleed when they were playing against Nambara Middle. It wasn't something he would forget in a hurry.

It was now Kise's turn on the line. As usual, his demeanour took a 180-degree turn when the ball was in his hands; he looked serious now. No doubt being in Kuroko's body palced him in an unfavourable position, but he was still quick, and he was determined to use it to his advantage.

Aomine was marking Murasakibara, and Midorima was on Akashi. This left Kuroko on defence.

"I won't go easy on you, Kuroko-cchi," smiled Kise, bouncing the ball in an almost tempting manner.

"Please don't, Kise-kun," said Kuroko, arms open wide.

In a flash, Kise spun on his heels. Before Kuroko could react, Kise had already hurtled past him.

 _Fast,_ thought Kuroko, blinking. His eyes could barely kept up.

Then Akashi gave Midorima the slip.

Kise halted in his tracks. The Captain was before him, emotionless eyes boring into his. Dazed, Kise made to dart around, but next moment his foot had slipped. He found himself on the floor, breathing hard. The ball was caught by Akashi. The Captain hit the net at full throttle, but Midorima intercepted him at the edge of the box. Aomine broke away from Murasakibara to cut off the Captain as well.

Akashi stopped short, appearing to size up the defending Miracles. Midorima and Aomine moved as one, lunging for the ball. But when Akashi cut back, Midorima and Aomine lost their footing, dropping like string-less puppets. Next moment, the Captain was in the air and the was falling smoothly through the net smoothly.

"Whoa!" Murasakibara was awed. "That's Aka-chin's Emperor Eye for you."

Kuroko had watched the spectacle with parted lips. Now he turned to Murasakibara. "You were its first victim, weren't you, Murasakibara-kun?"

"… Don't remind me, Kuro-chin."

Midorima and Aomine were still stunned. Aomine was the first to get to his feet. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, and he gritted his teeth frustratedly.

 _Damn it!_ _That Emperor Eye is no joke…_

Midorima stood up next. He wasn't fond of being on the receiving end of Akashi's offence.

Then he noticed that Kise was still on the floor. The small Miracle was staring down at his feet, face hidden behind his knees.

A pair of shoes shuffled into Kise's view. He blinked; he knew those kicks – he had picked them out himself just last week.

Midorima stared at Kise. The latter glanced up at him, and his smile held a noticeable strain.

"Man, that was a shock. It's been a while since I've experienced Akashi-cchi's attack… "

Wordlessly, Midorima stretched out his left hand.

Kise stared at it for a while.

Suddenly, he gave a laugh.

"You and Aomine-cchi talk rough, but you're actually pretty nice, huh?" he said with a grin.

Midorima flushed.

"What nonsense!" he spluttered, "I'm only helping you as a teammate nanodayo!"

Kise didn't stop grinning. "Come to think of it, I still haven't apologised for breaking your lucky item."

"I don't need your apology nanodayo."

"There must be something about Kuroko-cchi… everyone is being nice to me today. Well, everyone except Akashi-cchi… "

"Are you going to take my hand or not?"

"Ah… Kise-kun is helping me up," observed Kuroko from the other half of the court.

"Kuro-chin, don't talk about confusing things," complained Murasakibara.

"Aomine-kun also helped him up just now, didn't you?" Kuroko addressed the Teikou ace, who still looked a little ticked off from his fall. Aomine grunted.

"When I think I have it bad, I remember Kise," he said shortly.

"Mine-chin, how did it feel to experience Aka-chin's Emperor Eye from your own body?" asked Murasakibara.

Aomine sighed. "Well… I thought I looked pretty awesome," he admitted grudgingly. "Until my butt hit the floor."

Kuroko nodded sympathetically. "If anyone keeps going up against Akashi, he might well get butt cramps..."

"Ohh… so Aka-chin's new attack – it's called the _Bottom Buster,_ " said Murasakibara, as though he'd alighted on a humongous idea.

Aomine snorted as Kuroko quirked an eyebrow.

"Aomine-cchi, are you alright?" called Kise, waving cheerfully, as he and Midorima re-joined their teammates.

"Don't ask stupid questions, idiot."

Akashi strode up to them suddenly. He looked so scary that the Miracles drew back despite themselves.

"You seem to have forgotten your sense of urgency," said the Captain, gazing around at them with eyes like fire. "If you are not up to scratch by Friday, know that there is nothing that will stop me from submitting that letter to Kaisei. _Nothing._ "

 _Uwaa…_ shivered Kise. Akashi could be too hardcore sometimes. Even Aomine was sweating. Or was it from the workout… ?

"Shintarou, you will be our permanent game starter," said Akashi curtly, tossing him the ball.

Midorima planted himself on the line. It was odd that Akashi would make him the permanent game starter – all he had to do was to keep shooting. Aomine was marking Murasakibara, so there'd be no interference from there. Akashi could stop him, but Kise was on the Captain, and they were both standing too far away. It would be easy. Too easy. From what he'd seen earlier, this was definitely intentional. Midorima knew Akashi well enough not to take things for granted.

For the next few rounds, Midorima kept landing threes. It was working up a sweat for him, but he had gone on a lot longer than this before. His peak was far from over.

 _That Megane is going to shoot again,_ thought Aomine, as soon as they started the fifth round. _Ah… this is so weird. I'm guarding Midorima, but the real one is over there. Still, Murasakibara's body has its uses – I've got a real bird's-eye view of the court…_

 _This is pressurising… I hate defending Akashi-cchi…_ mourned Kise. With Akashi at his back, he felt like he was about to be stabbed by the Captain's razor-sharp eyes.

Midorima dribbled, preparing to make a shot. He lifted off at the fourth bounce.

And there it was again – like a tiny cog shifting out of place, except that it was stronger this time. He recalled Aomine's words: _I can't go all out if I don't feel comfortable in my own skin!_

 _Just what is going on...?_

Midorima let the ball fly. But something was wrong – its trajectory was different. For the first time, watching his own shot made Midorima feel uneasy.

The ball hit the rim forcefully.

Midorima's heart jerked. He watched the ball rolling around and around, as though unable to make up its mind. After what seemed like an eternity, it finally dropped in.

Midorima was stunned. His undefended shot…

"I thought so," said Akashi flatly. Midorima blinked; he hadn't realised that the Captain had got there. "You are left-handed, Shintarou. Ryouta is the opposite, which means you are using his weaker hand to shoot. It is only natural that your form would be deterred."

Midorima frowned. "Akashi… you knew?"

"I predicted. Furthermore, Ryouta is a small forward; you, as a shooting guard, would be more accustomed to shooting consistently. Now that it has come to this, we have to assume that you will lose your streak at an earlier point."

"Hear that, Mido-clone? We'll be expecting consistent shots from you now," drawled Aomine.

Murasakibara scowled. "You should set an example before saying that, Mine-chin."

"Midorima-kun looks upset," observed Kuroko.

The pure shooter was indeed wearing an aggrieved expression. Nothing had stood in the way of his three-point range until now.

 _I knew I shouldn't have let those idiots handle my lucky item!_ he thought irritably.

"Hm! I'm surprised. A prolific scorer like Midorima-cchi has his drawbacks too," remarked Kise.

"You'd better not say it in front of him, Kise-kun," cautioned Kuroko.

Kise looked alarmed. "You're right! He might use my head as a basketball."

As Midorima was agonising over his imperfect shot, Murasakibara is yawn.

 _Ah… I want to go home… my stash of_ maiubo _is waiting…_

Then his eyes flew open.

" _Aka-chin!"_ he exclaimed in alarm. The others whipped around to stare as he ran up to the Captain. "This is bad, Aka-chin! I can't go home! I look like Mido-chin now! And my _maiubo_ is waiting for me!"

There was a split-second pause.

" _Ah!"_ cried Kise. "You're right! My Mum would throw me out if I went home looking like this!"

Midorima rubbed his temples, sighing. "This is such a pain nanodayo… "

"No kidding. If Kise's body returned clutching a stuffed teddy and uttering 'nanodayo' every two winks, I reckon his Mum will ship him off to an asylum," said Aomine disdainfully.

Midorima scowled at him. "If Aomine's body went home and discovered all of his hidden magazines, he'd make a bonfire out of them nanodayo."

"This is indeed a problem," fretted Kuroko. "I was looking forward to finishing a novel I've been reading."

"Kuroko-cchi, that's what you're concerned about?!"

Murasakibara nudged Midorima imploringly.

"Mido-chin, let me impersonate you! I'll1 live on your mother's cooking."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, YOU MORON.\"

"I doubt she'd recognise Midorima without his glasses," sniggered Aomine.

"AHHH? ARE YOU ASKING FOR IT, AOMINE?"

Momoi stood up, hands on her hips. "Stop fighting, you guys!" she chided. "I'll let you kip in at my place for now."

"Momoi-san, are you sure that's a good idea…?" asked Kuroko hesitantly.

Momoi waved him off graciously. "It's fine. My parents are gone for a honeymoon trip; they won't be back for two days."

"Still, crashing at your place is a little… "

Akashi shook his head. "Given our situation, it cannot be helped." He turned to the manager and said, "Thank you for volunteering, Momoi."

"Not at all. Since it's like this, we might as well go pack up first."

Momoi had the keys to their rooms. They went to the bunk, Midorima and Aomine still locking horns, Murasakibara mourning over his _maiubo,_ Kuroko fretting about his novel and Kise in all of a dither.

Momoi unlocked the door to the boys' room first. When she switched on the lights, she was shocked by the mess; she had totally missed it out in the previous confusion.

"Mukkun, you've got crumbs all over your pillow!" she scolded, marching over to Murasakibara's sleeping bag. " _Mo!_ I didn't lend it to you to munch your snacks on, you know!"

"Eh…?" Murasakibara scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Sorry, Sacchin… "

As Momoi lifted up his pillow to brush off the crumbs, something slipped out of the casing.

The manager let out an involuntary gasp.


	7. Chapter 7

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Seven**

Momoi's eyes were wide as she stared at the small object that had fallen out of Murasakibara's pillow.

 _Oh, no! I completely forgot about those!_

Before she could react, Akashi had stooped to pick up the object.

"What's this?" he asked, turning it over with a frown. The other Miracles drew in to have a closer look.

"Ha ha! It seems the game is up," said Momoi, cupping her mouth and giving an awkward laugh.

Aomine narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Satsuki… what have you been up to?"

"It's nothing!" she said hastily. "Really! You know the other day, when I went to one of the shrines in Shimamoto? They were selling these limited edition _omamori_ that were said to inspire the spirit of unification in its bearer. All you had to do was write the person's name on the slip and have them sleep on it, and I just thought… since you were lacking in team collaboration and all, that maybe this would change things… "

"Momoi," said Akashi sharply, "did this drop out of Atsushi's pillow?"

Momoi blinked. "Eh? Yeah…"

"Then why is Shintarou's name on it?"

" _Eh?_ No way! I'm sure I slipped them in in order…"

Akashi had a bad feeling about this.

"Momoi… when did you slip in these amulets?"

"Right before I handed them out… why?"

The Miracles stared at each other, dumbstruck.

"Momoi-san, something happened last night," said Kuroko.

"Eh? What is it?"

Kise rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Actually… we kind of had a pillow fight."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah… and when it happened, the pillows got all mixed up…"

"Which means the amulets got mixed up too…"

Momoi couldn't believe her ears.

" _So that's why you guys were switched! Oh my God!"_ she shrieked, completely freaking out.

"WHAT? So this whole fiasco turned out to be _your_ fault?!" yelled Aomine, losing it as well.

Momoi spluttered, looking on the brink of combustion. " _My fault?_ I was just trying to help you out! You were the ones childish enough to get mixed up in some stupid kids' fight! Besides, why were you pillow-fighting in the first place?!"

"Th - things just escalated, is all! Anyway, aren't you going to take responsibility?"

While they bickered, Kise had dove for his pillow.

"As I thought! This one has your name on it, Kuroko-cchi!" he cried, having tipped out the amulet onto his palm.

The rest of the _omamori_ were tipped out as well. Kuroko's amulet had Akashi's name on it, Midorima's had Kise's name, Aomine's had Murasakibara's name, and Akashi's had Aomine's.

"So whoever slept with the person's name, went into that person's body nanodayo… " concluded Midorima grimly. He rounded on Aomine. "Aomine! Stop accusing Momoi. No one is to be blamed but you nanodayo!"

"Actually, I'm partly at fault too… " said Kuroko.

"No way! You were just trying to get Aomine-cchi off your back," argued Kise.

"Hey, hey! How did this end up being my fault? It's not like I wanted it to happen!"

"Then… isn't the solution simple?" said Murasakibara idly. "All we have to do is to sleep with the correct _omamori_ and we'll wake up in our own bodies."

Akashi folded his arms rigidly. "Yes. It might work both ways. But this means we will have to spend the night together again."

"Eh…?"

"No friggin' way!"

"Aomine-cchi, you just want to return to your magazines, don't you?" accused Kise.

"That's not it! It's just…. inconvenient, is all..."

"I wonder nanodayo."

"You damn Megane! You always have a bone to pick with me, don't you?"

"Because you ask for it nanodayo."

"AHH?!"

"If we have to spend the night again, it's going to pose a problem," said Kuroko thoughtfully. "While I have a set of spare clothes, I didn't bring enough toiletries."

Momoi looked positively delighted.

"No worries!" she said happily. "Just tell me what you guys need and I'll pop by the convenience store for a quick shop!"

Kise was taken aback. "Really? You're too kind, Momo-cchi."

"Ho ho! No problem at all."

Aomine snorted. " _No problem?_ You just want to know what brand of shampoo Tetsu uses."

"Is that so? Momoi-san, you could have just asked, you know."

Momoi blushed furiously. "NO! Aomine-kun, you big jerk!"

She pummelled his chest angrily.

"Ow!" he cried. "Quit it, you crazy cat!"

"But isn't it a waste to buy soap like this?" asked Kise. "Why don't we go back and pick up our stuff? I've got some laundry to drop too."

"Have you forgotten about our situation? What do you think Tetsu's mother will do if a complete stranger barges into her house and starts looting her son's room?" demanded Aomine, still struggling to get Momoi off his chest.

"Then we'll just go in each other's place…" shrugged Murasakibara.

"So the next time we meet will be in the loony bin! That's a real comfort."

"I agree with Aomine-kun," said Kuroko. "We're not familiar with each other's homes. It would be wiser to buy the stuff ourselves. But Momoi-san, we can't let you go alone. Let's all go together. We can pool the expenses together."

Kise flung an arm arm around Kuroko. "Good idea! Let's get go!"

It was a fifteen-minute walk to the store. They made an intimidating group, especially Aomine, who was in an exceptionally bad mood. The employee – a scraggy high-schooler with round glasses – swallowed visibly as they stepped in.

"W-welcome," he said nervously, bowing so low that his nose bumped his knees.

"This looks promising," said Kuroko, walking up to one of the aisles, where a range of toiletries were displayed. Kise, Midorima and Murasakibara followed suit.

 _What a hassle._ Aomine stroke up to the employee.

"Oi!" he barked.

The employee flinched. "Y – yes?"

"Do you know where we can get soap cheap?"

"W – well, there is a flea market just d – down the street – "

"I meant here, you idiot!"

"Oh! Y – yes! I'll fetch it at once!"

The employee skittered off. Momoi knocked on Aomine's head.

"Can't you be more polite?" she scolded. "This is why I volunteered to come alone, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. Aren't you going to see what Tetsu is picking out?"

And just like that, the Teikou ace was left alone with Akashi.

"Aren't you buying?" Aomine questioned the Captain.

"No," replied Akashi calmly. "I already have enough necessities."

"I see. You're always prepared for everything, huh?"

"This is awful. They have none of the brands that I use," fretted Kise. He and the others were strolling down the aisle, eyeing the pitiful choices that were laid out on the shelves.

"This _is_ a convenience store, after all nanodayo," stated Midorima.

"Kise-chin probably uses those expensive brands," commented Murasakibara. "How lucky."

"What about you, Murasakibara?"

"Eh? Whatever's convenient."

" _Murasakibara!"_ scowled Midorima, having just spotted Murasakibara's bare hand. "You've forgotten to tape your fingers again nanodayo!"

"Get out of it… it's too troublesome to keep taping and re-taping them," groaned Murasakibara.

"You promised to do it if I treated you, remember?"

Murasakibara sighed. "Fine… "

Midorima whipped out the extra tape he made a habit of carrying around and began looping it around Murasakibara's fingers.

"There. Don't forget it next time nanodayo!" he chided hotly. Having finished, he tried to tear out the strip, but it twisted around instead.

"Here, Midorima-kun," said Kuroko, passing him a pair of scissors.

"Thank you," said Midorima, snapping the strip cleanly. "Somehow, seeing you with these scissors gives me a bad premonition."

"Is that so?"

Kuroko went to return the scissors to their shelf.

"Sorry – we had to borrow this for a bit," he told the employee, who was passing him by, looking flustered.

"N – not at all… "

" _Tetsu-kun!"_ Momoi glomped him like a happy puppy, and Kuroko's heart nearly gave out. "Let me see what you've got!"

"Momoi-san, that was dangerous..."

"Hm? You guys aren't picking out anything either?" asked Aomine, as the employee scurried to the counter with the Teikou ace's purchases, and the others brought up the rear.

"What Kuroko has will be enough for us nanodayo," replied Midorima matter-of-factly.

"Huh… "

Meanwhile, the employee was tapping away on the register.

"T – that will be 600 yen, sir… "

"Excuse me, but I was here first… " said Kuroko.

The employee gave a great leap.

"Oh! I'm so sorry – I didn't see you there… "

The team was glad to leave the store and its jumpy occupant, who bowed them out as they left with their purchases.

"That's right," said Momoi suddenly. "We haven't told our parents, have we? About staying the night, that is."

She fished out her cellphone and began dialing her home number. Kise, Midorima, Aomine and Muraskaibara did the same.

Aomine's mother picked up first.

"Hey," said Aomine, sounding bored. "Just letting you know I'm staying over at school tonight… extra practice, you know. Huh? No, it's me, Daiki…"

"Hey, Dad!" said Kise brightly. "Something urgent has cropped up, so I'll be kipping at school tonight. What? No, this isn't the wrong number… sorry, what was that – ?"

"I'm Daiki! Your son, Aomine Daiki!" Aomine was shouting into his phone.

"I have not caught a cold nanodayo," Midorima was telling his mother exasperatedly. "Yes. No! Who wears a scarf at this time of the year?"

"But I _am_ Ryouta! I'm telling you – !"

"Damn it, woman! Can't you recognise your own son?!"

Kise had hung up.

"My Dad thought I was a friend trying to make a prank call!" he cried woefully.

"This is why you should have sent a text," said Akashi. He and Kuroko were typing serenely on their keypads.

Midorima was extremely annoyed. "I am feeling very well at the moment. No, that's all I have to say nanodayo. Goodbye."

"Extra practice! And don't make me repeat myself again! Goodbye!" yelled Aomine, promptly hanging up.

"Yeah, I should be home after school tomorrow… " said Murasakibara languidly. "Bye Mum…"

"You! Why are you the only one making the call without any trouble?" demanded Aomine.

"Like I said – you should have sent a text instead," repeated Akashi.

"I have to clear up this misunderstanding with my Dad!" said Kise, typing rapidly away on his cell.

"Mo!" Momoi was exasperated.

After the phone call fiasco, the team returned to school. It was getting close to sundown.

"I'm bushed," sighed Kise, trudging through the school gates.

"I'm hungry," said Murasakibara.

"When we switch back, I'm never going to complain about a crappy day again," said Aomine grumpily.

"And to top it off, we have to use the toilet upstairs," groaned Kise.

"Eh? Why is that?" asked Murasakibara.

"The one on the ground floor is out of order, remember?"

"We could bathe by candlelight."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Six naked guys bathing in a single toilet, lit by nothing but candles. Sounds really romantic."

As soon as they got back, the team hit the showers.

"No hanky panky, OK, boys?" called Momoi as she retreated into the girls' bathroom, giggling.

"Hilarious," muttered Midorima, as the boys made their way up to the second level.

"Hold on, guys… " said Kise, stopping suddenly. He looked as though he'd alighted on an unpleasant conclusion. "I just realised… bathing in this situation means… "

"Huh?" Aomine scowled. "What's wrong? We're all men. Besides, we already visited the bathroom plenty of times today."

"It cannot be helped nanodayo," agreed Midorima.

Kuroko nodded. "Would you prefer to bathe downstairs, Kise-kun?"

"Kuroko-cchi, I sometimes wonder if you're secretly trying to be mean…"

"Mido-chin, do I have to bathe with my fingers taped up?" asked Murasakibara unexpectedly.

Aomine cracked up.

"HA HA HA! Midorima, you _shower_ with your fingers taped?"

"Of course not nanodayo!" retored Midorima angrily. "I have my limitations too! Stop laughing!"

In that moment, Akashi walked past them with a towel flung over his shoulder.

"No singing in the showers," he ordered, before shutting the cubicle door.

Aomine laughed even harder this time. Kise joined in, too.

"No laughing either!" shouted Akashi from inside. "Anyone who sings or laughs will be sleeping outside tonight!"

"I think he means it," said Kise, stopping himself. "Cut it out, Aomine-cchi. I don't want to spend the night stargazing."

" _No singing in the showers!_ This is killing me," gasped Aomine, holding his ribs.

They turned in early that night. The Miracles were extra careful in making sure that the right amulets were stowed inside their pillows.

"Somehow, I can't help but think that Satsuki's wish came true," said Aomine dully, as he lay on his futon.

"Indeed," said Kuroko musingly. "We became unified in a certain way, didn't we?"

"But what if we don't change back tomorrow?" voiced out Kise worriedly.

"I'll beat your brains out," mumbled Aomine irritably. "Just go to sleep, idiot. We'll worry about it in the morning."

"Goodnight, everyone," said Kuroko.


	8. Chapter 8

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Eight**

"Damn it! I should have known things would turn out this way!"

Midorima and Aomine were walking down the school hallway, the Ace venting hot air. Tucked under Midorima's arm was a pink hairdryer – courtesy of Momoi – which was the Vice-Captain's lucky item of the day. It didn't have to be a pink one exactly, but it was the only one he could lay hands on. Not surprisingly, Kise and Aomine had had a right fit when they saw it.

In revenge, Midorima had blown their hair into disarray.

Presently, the Vice-Captain pushed up his glasses. "Perhaps this had nothing to do with the _omamori_ after all nanodayo."

They had woken up in the same state as they had been the day before. Needless to say, Aomine was rankled.

"The hell it didn't! There's way too much coincidence piled up."

"Not to mention we've ended up as classmates again nanodayo."

"It can't be helped, can it? Kise and Murasakibara are in the same class after all."

"Yes. Which makes the real Murasakibara and Akashi classmates too nanodayo."

"Yeah... What the heck?!" Aomine stopped short. The Miracles had suddenly found themselves surrounded by girls.

"Kyaaa! Kise-kun is wearing glasses!"

"Kise-kun, _love_ the megane look!"

Kise's fans were flocking to them in multitudes. Midorima was being pushed and pulled by the wave of females.

"What are you carrying, Kise-kun?"

"Is it a gift _?_ "

"Eeehhh? Who is it for?"

 _This is bad. My lucky item is in danger again._ Quickly, Midorima forced his way through the flood and made a mad dash for the classroom. Aomine sprinted alongside him, their legs windmilling at incredible speeds.

"How does Kise deal with those wildcats everyday?" gasped the Ace. The Miracles didn't slow down until they had reached the sanctuary of their classroom. They slumped against the door, panting. Their dramatic entrance drew stares from the surrounding students.

A boy with a goofy grin waved at Midorima.

"Good morning, Ryo-kun!"

Midorima glanced up at the unfamiliar face; it took him a second to register that he was the one being addressed.

"G-good morning," said Midorima automatically.

"Whoa! Ryo-kun, you're wearing glasses now?"

"Indeed nanodayo."

The boy laughed. "Is this a new trend – the Otaku sensation? Even your hair is different."

Midorima had trouble hiding his irritation. "Nonsense nanodayo."

"Hm? Why are you talking weird?"

"I have no idea what you mean nanodayo."

Aomine yawned. As far as he was concerned, class time was nap time. He was about to trudge up to his desk when he realised that he didn't know where it was.

Aomine turned to the boy.

"Hey, you," he said flippantly. "Where's my seat?"

The boy made a disapproving face. "Mura-kun, we've been classmates for almost a year. At least call me by name."

Aomine sighed again. "Sorry… what's your name again?"

The boy looked incredulous.

" _Huh?_ I know you're lazy and all, but you can't be that retarded! I'm Hiraoka! _Hiraoka._ "

"Hiraoka. Right. So where's my seat?"

"It's over there. Geez, to think you'd be asking me such questions at this point…"

"'And Midorima?"

"What?"

"I mean, where does Kise sit?"

"Ryo-kun? Ryo-kun's seat is over there."

"Heard that, Kise?" said Aomine, glancing sidelong at Midorima, who pushed up his glasses nonchalantly.

"Yes."

Hiraoka looked from Midorima to Aomine, confused.

"Mura-kun, since when did you stop calling Ryo-kun 'Kise-chin?"

"I'm sleepy," said Aomine nonchalantly, dropping down onto his chair. "Don't bother me for now."

Hiraoka raised his eyebrows. "What's his problem?"

Midorima didn't reply. He drew up his chair after setting down his lucky item.

"By the way, Ryo-kun, what's that you've got there?" asked Hiraoka, eyeing the hairdryer with some amusement.

"It's my lucky item nanodayo."

" _What?"_

"It's… a gift," sighed Midorima, going for a lie.

Hiraoka threw back his head and laughed.

"Wow! Your fans actually gave you a pink this time? Real classy!"

Aomine snorted. Midorima threw him a glare.

Hiraoka stopped laughing. He actually began to look concerned. After all, Kise wasn't usually so grumpy.

"Ryo-kun, are you feeling well?" he asked sincerely.

"I'm fine nanodayo."

"He's never well," said Aomine, kicking up his legs lazily.

"Murasakibara-kun! That's my chair you're dirtying!" snapped a girl who had been chatting with her friend several tables way. "Please put your legs down!"

"Ah… " Aomine sighed and slumped forward onto his desk.

...

Momoi's day had started off badly.

"I can't believe we forgot about our uniforms!" she huffed. "We had to borrow them from the faculty office, but because they had none in my size, I had to settle for a male top! How unjustifiable!"

"No kidding." Her friend, Arai, tutted in sympathy. "But why didn't you and the guys go back last night?"

"Er… well, there was a heavy storm… " Momoi said the first thing that came to her mind. She felt bad about lying to her friend, but it wasn't like she could spill the beans on the whole body-swapping problem.

...

Kise took a deep breath before rolling the classroom door open.

"Good morning!" he announced to the room at large.

Everyone stared at him, their expressions ranging from mild surprise to full-blown astonishment.

"Whew! Made it," said Kise, prancing across the room. Thanks to Midorima, he had had to touch up his hair and almost ran late as a result.

Suddenly, one of the students laughed brightly.

"Nice entrance, Kuroko!"

"This is the first time you managed to grab all of our attention," teased another.

Kise smiled happily. "Thanks! Where do I sit?"

Everyone, including the teacher, roared with laughter.

"You sure are in high spirits today, Kuroko!" he chuckled. "Did something good happen?"

"Eh? No, nothing of the sort… "

"Well, it's certainly a change. What are you waiting for? Take your seat."

"Uh… " said Kise, looking around at the three empty seats. Which one of them was his? If he asked again, he would be labelled a weirdo. He couldn't do that to Kuroko. Should he take a gamble…?

"Come on, Kuroko-kun! Stop standing there with that dumb expression," said a girl at the third row, waving him over. One of the empty seats was next to her – it had to be that one.

Gratefully, Kise slid over to it.

...

In another classroom, the female students were whispering excitedly.

"Look! Midorima-kun finally ditched his glasses!"

"He looks sooo hot!"

While the girls were swooning, Murasakibara was occupied with his morning snack.

"It's a good thing Mido-chin is left-handed. Eating with my right hand taped would be a hassle," he commented to Akashi, who was fixedly absorbed in his textbook.

"Shintarou, please go back to your seat. You're getting crumbs all over my desk."

The guys were staring at Akashi in amazement.

"Do you see? This is the first time Aomine-kun is so focussed on an activity other than napping," one of them whispered to his friend. The girls who weren't squealing over 'Midorima' were also beginning to paying attention to 'Aomine' now.

'He's not reading one of those magazines, is he?"

"No, it's the math textbook."

"How unusual… is there a surprise test we don't know about?"

"Settle down, settle down," said the teacher, having just stepped in. He was a skinny man in his forties, wearing a standard check dress shirt. After the class's attendance was taken, they began the first lesson.

Akashi's back was ramrod straight. Murasakibara, on the other hand, was slouched and gazing at the blackboard with hazy eyes.

"Right," said the teacher, scratching out a question on the blackboard. "Who can tell me the answer to this equation?"

Akashi raised his hand at once. "The square root of fourteen."

No one could believe their ears; it hadn't even taken a second. Even the teacher was startled.

"Uh... yes. That is correct," he said. "Thank you, Aomine."

"Midorima," said the teacher after a while, turning to his top student with an expectant smile, "will you come up and solve this problem, please?"

The usually studious Midorima was resting his chin on his palm, his eyes half-closed. The students nearby threw him puzzled looks.

With an uncharacteristic sigh, 'Midorima' got up and went to the board. He stared sleepily at the question for a minute, and then finally scrawled out an answer.

"Midorima, your answer is incorrect," frowned the teacher, upon inspecting the figure.

For the second time, no one could believe their ears. Midorima had never gotten a question wrong before.

The real Midorima happened to be passing by on the way to the bathroom, and he stiffened when he saw the scene.

 _This is not good nanodayo…_

Akashi raised his hand.

"Sensei, please allow me to solve the problem."

The teacher blinked a few times. Aomine taking the initiative to answer was unheard of.

"V-very well, Aomine..."

"It's all yours, Mine-chin," drawled Murasakibara, passing the chalk to his Captain and flopping back onto his chair. His laidback attitude threw everyone completely off course.

"That is correct," said the teacher, after checking Akashi's answer. "Good work, Aomine. You're putting in excellent effort today."

"I am always right," said Akashi, returning to his desk without so much as a glance.

"Midorima, please copy down the answer," added the teacher, with a frown at his star student. "I will need you to pay a little more attention from now on."

Murasakibara yawned blatantly. "Yes, sensei."

"Oh?" said Murasakibara's neighbour, a boy with a crewcut. He was watching Murasakibara leisurely scribble down the solution. "Midorima-kun, since when were you a righty?"

Fortunately, Akashi was seated right in front of Murasakibara.

"Shintarou is honing his ambidexterity," answered the Captain in his stead.

The boy looked impressed. "Cool! By the way, you don't seem to have your lucky item anywhere. Did you forget to bring it?"

"Yeah."

 _What an inquisitive guy,_ thought Akashi. He was glad he didn't have someone like that on the team.

...

Kuroko was used to being unnoticed, but being noticed and being given a wide berth was unprecedented for him. Even as he sat down, the students surrounding him inched their desks further away.

 _Interesting… does Akashi-kun intimidate them to this extent?_ he wondered.

Halfway through the lesson, Kuroko felt something bump into his shoe. The girl next to him had dropped her eraser. Wordlessly, Kuroko scooped it up.

"Th-thank you," said the girl nervously, taking the eraser but not meeting him in the eyes.

 _Oh? She's afraid..._

In an attempt to reassure, Kuroko gave the girl a warm smile. "Not at all."

The girl's jaw dropped; so did everyone else's.

Afterward, to Kuroko's surprise, everyone began inching their desks _toward_ him instead.

 _What's going on?_ he wondered puzzledly. From what he could see, the girls were suddenly whispering eagerly together. _Gosh._ _This class sure is weird…_

...

The bell for lunch break trilled.

 _Finally!_ Kise leapt up, making for Kuroko's class. Some of its occupants were trickling out, and Kise caught snatches of their conversation.

"Did you see? Akashi-kun smiled at me! He actually _smiled_!" squealed a girl happily.

"He doesn't have the usual killer vibe either!"

"And he even thanked Yamada-kun when he asked to borrow his notes!"

"I know! Isn't he just _perfect?_ "

Kise wolf-whistled. "Wow! Kuroko-cchi, you sure have become popular!"

Kuroko tilted his head puzzledly. "What do you mean?"

"Nevermind! By the way, I managed to make a new bunch of friends! It must be awfully hard not being noticed all the time, but now that I've taken care of it, you'll never be lonely again. Isn't that great, Kuroko-cchi?"

"I see. That's really nice of you, Kise."

Kise, who had been expecting a more enthusiastic response, was crestfallen. "Don't you want buddies?"

"I do… but having you and the rest of the team is good enough."

Kise squeezed his friend happily. "You don't say!"

...

Throughout the lesson, Aomine was fast asleep. On the other hand, Midorima was furiously scribbling down notes.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Midorima closed his notebook with a snap and set off for Murasakibara's class with Aomine on his heels.

"Aomine, why are you following me?" demanded Midorima.

"Akashi said we have to stick together. It's not like I want to be on your tail all the time," yawned Aomine, his eyes still slightly red from his nap.

"It's unlike you to follow orders nanodayo."

"You know why. It's _his_ orders after all."

They arrived at the class. Midorima marched straight in; he would have looked fierce if it weren't for the pink hairdryer tucked under his arm.

"Mu - Midorima! You have disgraced my reputation nanodayo!"

Murasakibara looked up in surprise. "Eh… what do you mean?"

"Try to put in more effort in class nanodayo! You couldn't even solve such a simple question!"

"Oh, you saw that, Mido-chin? But you know, I can't help it. Not everyone is as smart as you."

"Shintarou, his name is Kise," reminded Akashi, his gaze still on the textbook

"What?" Murasakibara took a moment to figure out what his Captain meant. "Oh yeah. Sorry, Kise-chin. No one has brains like you. Except Aka-chin, of course."

Midorima clutched his head. "It seems I'll never be able to step into this classroom again nanodayo…" he muttered.

"Oh? Morine, you're eating croquettes again?" said Aomine suddenly, addressing a boy who was eating a bentou.

"Huh? Do I know you?" asked Morine in surprise.

Aomine paid no heed to his question. Instead, he took one of the boy's croquettes.

"What the – ?" Morine drew his bentou box away from Aomine, looking indignant. "You jerk! What are you doing, stealing people's food?"

"It's alright, ain't it? You share your stuff with me all the time."

"I've never seen you before in my life! Pillaging others' meals – is that how you became so tall?"

"Oh, just shut up. That's no way to talk to a friend."

"Who are you calling a friend?" demanded Morine furiously. "Aomine, do you know this psychopath?"

"Atsushi, do not complicate things further," said Akashi exasperatedly.

Aomine saluted lazily. "Aye aye, Captain."

"Hey guys!" called Kise, waving from the doorway. "Oh, Midorima-cchi and Aomine-cchi are here too! Great! Let's go eat together!"

"Finally," said Murasakibara.

"Momoi-san mentioned that she will be joining us as well," informed Kuroko. "She wants to figure out what we can do about our problem."

"What's there to figure out?" said Aomine disgruntledly. "The _omamori_ didn't work, we're stuck in these bodies forever, end of story, sans happy ending."

"About that… Momoi-san says she has a theory," said Kuroko.

"She does?" Aomine was incredulous. Aside from intel-gathering and enemy analysis, Momoi wasn't exactly the sharpest tack in the drawer.

"Let's talk about it over lunch nanodayo," said Midorima. "Murasakibara's starving expression looks bad on me."

They left the classroom, oblivious to the other students' perplexed stares.


	9. Chapter 9

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Nine**

The bell rang, signalling the end of their last lesson.

"I will see you in practice, Shintarou." With that statement, Akashi was gone.

Wondering vaguely where the Captain as off to in such a hurry, Murasakibara shouldered his bag and trudged out of the classroom, yawning widely. He still wasn't used to being called 'Shintarou', but it did make his life a little more interesting.

"Midorima-kun!"

A gaggle of girls had caught up with him, all of them wearing eager looks.

"Midorima-kun, please hang out with us!"

"Eh? But I have to go for practice... "

For some reason, the girls really seemed to like Midorima. It made Murasakibara scratch his head.

"Come on! Please! We'll treat you to anything you like!"

Now this was something the Miracle could understand.

"Then... I'd like to have Korean barbecue please," he said brightly.

The real Midorima came stomping up all of a sudden.

"They will not nanodayo!" he said angrily. "You are not skipping practice to fatten yourself up, Mu – Midorima!"

"KYAAA! Kise-kun has a new look!"

"Oh? Mido-chin, you're quite the celebrity too."

"What? There are girls here too?" groaned Aomine, who had tagged along. "Quick, let's get out of here!"

They fled to the gym, with Midorima dragging Murasakibara by the arm.

"Noooo! My barbecue – !"

Kuroko and Kise were already in the locker room.

"Oh, you're here!" smiled Kise. "Midorima-cchi, I've already unlocked my locker for you."

Midorima nodded. "Thanks."

"By the way, check this out! I'm wearing Kuroko's Number Fifteen!" exclaimed Kise, striking a pose.

"Kise-kun, you don't seem to be worried," remarked Kuroko. "You do know we're not supposed to give away the fact that we've switched?"

There was a loud squeal from the doorway.

"Tetsu-kun! Just what did you do to your hair? It oozes sexiness!" exclaimed Momoi, jumping into Kise's arms.

"Argh! Momo-cchi, this is the men's locker room! You can't just barge in here!"

"Mo! Ki-chan, can't you pretend to be Tetsu-kun for just a minute?"

"Satsuki, leave your fantasies out of Kise's life," scowled Aomine.

"I guess I'll have my barbecue another time," sighed Murasakibara, stripping his shirt forlornly.

Momoi gasped.

"Mukkun! Don't change in front of me!" she yelped, dashing out of the room.

Aomine chortled.

"It's your fault for strolling in on your own, you know," he called after her disappearing back.

"Where's Akashi-kun?" asked Kuroko, looking around as if expecting the Captain to materialise out of a locker.

"Akashi-kun was speaking with the Coach earlier," said Momoi, poking her head in, but keeping her eyes shut. "Apparently, he was requesting that the six of you train with only the first-stringers for today, but the Coach told him to seek approval from Akashi-kun ... "

Aomine snorted. "Akashi getting told to get permission from himself? Hahahahaha!"

"What is so funny?" growled Akashi. The Captain, who had just arrived, was already in his basketball jersey.

"Akashi, how did you get past Aomine's combination?" asked Midorima.

"Momoi is not the only one who gathers data," replied Akashi. "Tetsuya, I took the liberty of getting this out earlier."

He threw a jersey at Kuroko. It bore the number 'Four', which only the Captain of the Teikou team was privileged to wear.

Kuroko stared at it in awe. He would actually get to wear the Captain's jersey!

"Kuroko-cchi, you look really happy," said Kise cheerfully.

"His eyes are shining," observed Aomine.

"Mido-chin, I can get rid of these now right?" asked Murasakibara, holding up his taped fingers.

"You can nanodayo. The only time I don't need them is when I'm playing."

"Tetsuya, once you have put on your jersey, I need you to convey the request to the Coach in my stead," instructed Akashi.

"But why do you want us to play with only the first-stringers today?" frowned Aomine.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Kise. "He wants us to work on our skills."

"I'll do it, Akashi-kun," nodded Kuroko.

"Good. Let's go."

As the Teikou basketball club was bursting with over a hundred members, the practice venue was spread out over three gyms. The first gym, which was usually occupied by the first string and a portion of the second string, was already packed with members. Thuds and squeals filled the air as the players flitted around, scoring hoops one after the other.

"Good luck, you guys!" said Momoi supportively. "I'll be watching from the bench!"

"Look! There's Coach Sanada," said Kise, giving Kuroko a push. "Go for it, Kuroko-cchi!"

Coach Sanada was observing the practice session with folded arms.

"Oh, Momoi-kun!" he said, upon spotting the manager making her way toward the bench. "Have you seen Akashi-kun? It's rare for him to be late."

"Coach, I'm right here."

Coach Sanada jumped. Somehow, Akashi had managed to approach him without his knowledge.

"Oh, Akashi-kun. You gave me a turn."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm here about Aomine – I mean, Daiki's request."

"That's right. I'm astounded that Aomine-kun decided to turn up for practice. So he wants to play with the first string huh? Doesn't come as a surprise... "

"Yes. I don't think it will hurt to play with them for a change, especially with the upcoming match against Kaisei."

"Kaisei? Sure they're a strong school, but they shouldn't prove to be a challenge. Not that I'm underestimating them, but from what I've seen, you've gone up against worse."

"Thank you, sir. I should be getting back to practice now."

"Way to go, Tetsu-kun!" beamed Momoi, flashing Kuroko a thumbs-up. "You make a great Aka-replacement!

"That went surprisingly well," commended Aomine.

"Well-played, Kuroko-cchi!" grinned Kise.

"Akashi."

Hearing his name, Kuroko turned. The team's former Captain, Nijimura Shuuzou, was standing before him.

"I heard from Aomine that the first string will be playing together?" asked Nijimura.

"That's right," said Kuroko politely. As a talented player, Kuroko had high regard for his senpai. Being treated like his superior was a strange feeling for him.

Nijimura nodded. "Well then, let's get started."

They split up into four teams. Aside from the other first stringers, the first team comprised Kuroko, Midorima and Nijimura, the second Aomine, the third Kise and Murasakibara, and the last Akashi.

"Looks like we're playing against each other again," smirked Aomine.

Midorima stared at the Ace aloofly. "It seems we are nanodayo."

That was when Kuroko remembered that he was supposed to be the point guard. A flicker of panic caught him in the stomach. He had never been point guard before.

Not long later, Kuroko was dribbling across the court in a state of nerves.

"Kuroko!" called Midorima. "Over here nanodayo!"

One of his teammates threw him a confused look. "Huh? Who are you talking to, Kise?"

 _That's right. Just because I'm point guard doesn't mean I have to act like one._

Taking aim, Kuroko hurled the ball at Midorima. But Aomine intercepted the pass.

"Damn you, Aomine!" cursed Midorima, running after the Ace.

"Sorry, Tetsu, but as long as Midorima is on your team, I can't bring myself to lose," grinned Aomine, outpacing Midorima and scoring with a lay-up.

The other members were bewildered.

 _What in blazes is going on?_ they wondered, gaping at the Miracles in utter perplexity. _Why are they talking as if Kuroko and Midorima are here? And more importantly, Murasakibara just stole the ball from Akashi!_

Nijimura couldn't believe his eyes either. It was not like Akashi to make such an easy blunder.

"Murasakibara, aren't you supposed to be guarding the centre?" he asked.

"Huh? Guarding's boring."

"But you always said moving was a pain."

"Maybe I've changed my mind."

In the next round, Midorima landed a flawless three-pointer.

"Wow! Kise, that shot totally screamed Midorima! Since when were you able to shoot threes so perfectly?"

"Since training camp nanodayo."

"Whoa! Wish I could have gone too. Hang on... why are you speaking like Midorima too?"

"Eh? Ah... am I? You must have heard wrongly na – "

He stopped himself at the last second.

"You were able to say it again, weren't you?" said his teammate perceptively.

"You heard nothing," said Midorima defensively.

"Are you making fun of him? You're even wearing glasses now."

"What's wrong with wearing glasses?!"

During the next few rounds, Kuroko kept getting the ball stolen from him. The one time he made it to the net, he missed a wide-open shot.

"What's wrong with Akashi?"

"He's playing like a total amateur."

"Murasakibara is on fire, though. What's going on with them?"

"Kuroko, you're making Akashi look bad nanodayo," said Midorima dismally.

"Sorry. I'm trying my best, but it's impossible to live up to his name after all."

"Uh, Kise? Why are you calling Akashi 'Kuroko'?" asked their teammate. He and the other guys were staring at Midorima as if worried about his sanity.

"You misheard nanodayo," said Midorima, turning resolutely away from them.

"Again with the 'misheard'?!"

"Akashi," said Nijimura frowningly. "Are you... er... feeling OK?"

Midorima stiffened. _Uh oh. This is not good nanodayo._

"I... " began Kuroko. He flinched when Aomine clapped a hand on his shoulder with large force.

"Akashi sprained his leg during training camp. You'll have to forgive him for his tragic performance today."

" _What?_ Akashi, are you sure it's OK for you to play in such a condition?" demanded Nijimura.

Kuroko waved a hand. "It's OK. I feel fine."

 _Huh? Akashi is acting strange!_

Nijimura stared at Kuroko with his mouth slightly parted.

Kuroko was starting to get nervous. _I've given myself away... I've given myself away..._ the same thought kept running around his head.

Then, another thought pushed its way through.

 _I have to act like Akashi-kun._

Kuroko made himself look as aloof as possible.

"I'm fine, Nijimura," he said coldly. "It will take more than a trivial injury to stop me."

To Kuroko's relief, the doubt in Nijimura's eyes cleared.

"Got it," he said, nodding firmly. "Don't push yourself, Captain."

"Murasakibara-cchi, what's your take on Momo-cchi's theory?" asked Kise. One of the players had gone for a bathroom break, so the game was stalled.

"Sa-cchin's theory? I think it's plausible," said Murasakibara, who was leaning idly against the stand.

"Isn't it? I mean, the switch happened because we slept with each other's _omamori._ She said that if sleeping with our own _omamori_ didn't reverse the effect, then maybe ought to take the reversal into account. Which means that if we sleep with the _omamori_ of our respective counterparts, we might actually be able to return to our original bodies."

"Mm." Losing interest, Murasakibara closed his eyes.

"Murasakibara-cchi, you're so disrespectful."

"Stop using the wrong terms, you two," said Akashi, fixing them with his emotionless eyes. "It would be inconvenient if the questions started pouring in."

Kise grinned apologetically. "Sorry, Akashi-cchi! I mean, Aomine-cchi. I'll remember!"

When the game began, Kise was fired up. He drove past three of his defenders and landed a two without a hitch.

His teammates were awed.

"Whoa! Kuroko is on a roll!"

"Kuroko, are you on stimulants or something?"

Kise scoffed mildly. "How rude! Kuroko-cchi would never resort to such cheap tricks!"

"Huh? You're talking funny, Kuroko."

"Tetsuya." Akashi was giving him the evil eye.

"Uh, I meant, I would never resort to such cheap tricks," corrected Kise hastily. "This is just one of those days when I feel like I can do anything. Yeah!"

Meanwhile, Murasakibara was being probed for a different reason.

"Midorima, aren't you supposed to be shooting guard?" asked his teammate. "Midorima? Hello? _Midorima!_ "

Murasakibara blinked and looked down at the guy who was addressing him.

 _Oh yeah, I'm Midorima, aren't I..._

"Nope," said Murasakibara out loud. "I'm playing centre today."

"Eh? Centre...?"

"Do you have a problem with it?" scowled Murasakibara.

His teammate gulped. "Nope."

As the guy walked away, Murasakibara congratulated himself.

 _Ha. Mido-chin's personality comes in useful at times..._

After some time, the teams were re-shuffled.

"Are you sure you can play with that leg of yours, Captain?" one of Kuroko's teammates enquired.

Kuroko thought blissfully, _Captain... It feels good to be called Captain..._

"Akashi-cchi! We're on the same team now!" cried Kise, practically slamming into Kuroko. "This is so great! Be sure to pass the ball to me lots, OK?"

"Ki... Ryo... no, Tetsuya," gasped Kuroko, struggling to detach himself from Kise. "Please let go of me... don't forget I'm Akashi now... "

"Of course! So be sure to pass the ball to me, got it?"

 _He doesn't get it at all,_ thought Kuroko exasperatedly.

"Seijurou," said Akashi, as he, Aomine and Murasakibara walked past them on the way to the other court, "passing is fine, but refrain from doing it too much. I do not want you to draw attention to yourself."

"He's not Seijurou, he's Tet – er, Akashi," said Aomine.

"Seijurou is fine," said Akashi shortly. "Do not correct me."

"Damn it! What will people think if I start being on first-name terms with everyone?"

"Daiki, are you defying me?"

Aomine looked away uneasily. "Uh, not at all... "

"I'm glad you catch on quickly," said the Captain, walking away impassively.

Aomine gritted his teeth in frustration.

 _Damn him! Always talking people down..._

And Murasakibara's behaviour did nothing to improve the Ace's mood.

"Murasak – I mean, Midorima! Quit sleeping on the job, you dolt!" scowled Aomine, elbowing Murasakibara in the stomach.

"It hurts, Mine-chin! Anyway, I can't do anything if the ball doesn't come to me."

"Don't call me Mine-chin, dimwit! Do you want to spend the rest of training doing push-ups?"

"But it feels weird to call my own name."

"Deal with it already."

"Shintarou, Atsushi. Focus on the game," ordered Akashi sharply.

"Aomine, since when were you on first-name terms with them?" asked his teammate in surprise.

Aomine did a face-palm.

Nijimura was getting more and more worried about the Captain.

"Kise, are you sure Akashi is alright? He seems kind of off today."

"He is just cranky about his injury nanodayo."

Now Nijimura was goggling at him.

"Kise... ? Why are you talking like Midorima?"

"Am I? I think you misheard."

Nijimura was flabbergasted. "What is going on here?"

As promised, Kuroko kept his passes going at Kise. Midorima also maintained his three-point range.

Gradually, Kuroko noticed that people were no longer looking his way. As he was wondering why, Midorima made the winning shot.

"Way to go, Kise! You could have made it all day!"

Midorima smiled and pushed up his glasses. "Today is a good day for Cancers."

"And he just went and ruined my image," groaned Kise.

His teammate cheered him up. "You played well today, Kuroko! It's amazing how much you've improved! I guess training camp finally did it, huh?"

"Speaking of which, where did Akashi go?" asked Nijimura, looking around. He had lost track of the Captain halfway through the game.

The other members straightened up suddenly.

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot the Captain was playing!"

"He was? I thought he left a while ago."

"Guys, I'm right here," said Kuroko.

Everyone jumped, including Kise and Midorima.

"Captain! Where were you?"

"I was here the whole time."

Nijimura's head hurt. He gave up trying to figure things out.

"I'm taking ten," he said wearily, trudging to the bench.

"Akashi-cchi! I thought you abandoned us!" whined Kise.

"Tetsuya, I can understand if everyone else is shocked, but you have no reason to be," said Kuroko exasperatedly.

"Indeed. You've been receiving his passes all this time nanodayo," added Midorima.

"You guys are so mean! You know how hard it is when Kuroko does his vanishing act!" protested Kise.

As Kise and Midorima continued to bicker, Kuroko glanced over at the other court.

"I wonder how the others are doing?" he voiced out loud.

Aomine drove toward the hoop with all he got. But the Captain intercepted him almost immediately.

Aomine twisted around agilely, working the ball like it was weightless, but Akashi seemed to predict his every move. No matter what trick he pulled, Aomine was cornered.

Meanwhile, their teammates were watching in shock.

"Scary... what are we seeing here?"

"Murasakibara has become so cool all of a sudden, but Aomine is just terrifying."

"Don't fret, Mura-chin. Aka-chin's Emperor Eye is unstoppable after all," said Murasakibara, when Aomine returned moments later, wincing.

"Tch! I can't take this lying down," cursed the Ace, slamming a fist into the stand pole. "The only one who can beat me is me!"

"But Mido-chin beat you, didn't he?"

"That doesn't count! Besides, it's your fault I'm in this fix in the first place!"

"Eh? How is it my fault?"

"Forget it. Just get back to the net. And don't drift off again, or I'll pummel you to oblivion!"


	10. Chapter 10

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Akashi

Kise – Kuroko

Midorima – Kise

Aomine – Murasakibara

Murasakibara – Midorima

Akashi – Aomine

...

 **Chapter Ten**

"I'm beat," sighed Kise, his arms hanging like a scarecrow's. Once practice was over, the Miracles had trudged back to the locker room to retrieve their belongings. "Kuroko-cchi, you should really work on amping up your stamina."

"You're tired, Kise? I was just getting warmed up," declared Aomine.

"You have improved quite a bit, Daiki," noted Akashi.

Aomine grinned. "Naturally! They don't call me the Ace of the Miracles for nothing."

"Save your bragging for Saturday's match nanodayo," scoffed Midorima.

"Keep it up, everyone," said Akashi. "Do not forget your compulsory quota of twenty points per man."

Momoi came hurtling out of nowhere.

"Great job, everyone!" she cheered, planting her hands on Kuroko's shoulders and hopping up and down like an excited bunny. "I've just finished up today's practice menu, so we're good to go!"

"Momoi-san, you're hurting me," groaned Kuroko.

"Satsuki's put on a lot of weight since middle school," said Aomine.

"I have not! Aomine-kun, you're despicable!"

"Momoi, did you manage to get Coach Sanada's permission?" asked Akashi.

"Yup! He said we can stay over for the whole of this week if we have to. Although… he _was_ awfully curious as to why we're taking this match so seriously."

"It does not matter what he thinks. What is important is that we have obtained his permission. Now, does everyone know the plan?"

"Murasakibara-kun seems to be clueless," observed Kuroko.

"Very well. For Atsushi's sake, I will go over it once more."

"That was mean, Kuro-chin," pouted Murasakibara.

"Basically," continued Akashi, "we will be going in pairs to our individual homes. Given the nature of the situation, the pairings will change midway. For example, Tetsuya will head over to his house with Ryouta. Subsequently, he and I shall be going over to my house. According to my calculations, the entire trip will take approximately almost two hours."

"Sounds like a mountain of pain," sighed Murasakibara.

"There's no helping it. We don't want Kise being shipped off to the madhouse after all."

"Aomine. Die."

"That aside, the _omamori_ may not work if you're apart," said Momoi thoughtfully.

"Momoi-san, you don't have to stay with us," said Kuroko.

"Of course I do! I got you into this mess in the first place. It's my responsibility to shoulder!"

"Aw, man. We might be stuck like this for life, you know?" groaned Kise.

"Cheer up, Ki-chan. When Tetsu-kun has such a glum expression, it makes me sad too."

"Momoi, I don't think you're helping nanodayo," said Midorima.

"Oh well, at least we finally get to go home," said Murasakibara leisurely.

"No kidding. My bag is starting to stink," grumbled Aomine. "Mum will kill me when she sees how filthy the laundry's gotten."

"You mean she'll kill Akashi-kun," said Kuroko.

"I dare her to," said Akashi intimidatingly.

"Akashi-kun, please don't actually do it," said Momoi.

…..

City lights whizzed past the two Miracles' vision.

The train was packed to its tightest. In order not to lose Kuroko among the flood of commuters, Kise had made him grab hold of the back of his shirt.

"Your house is nearer than I thought, Kuroko-cchi," he remarked. "You live with your parents and grandma?"

"Yeah."

"My Dad wasn't exactly happy when I texted to say I'd be camping in school indefinitely, but he's fine with it as long as we win the match," said Kise, with a hearty laugh. "And boy, was it a good thing I took the week off of modelling! Can you imagine if I traipsed into the studio wearing dorky glasses and carrying a plush toy and spouting 'nanodayos' everywhere?"

"Things would definitely go awry if Midorima-kun went in your stead," agreed Kuroko. It still intrigued Kise that no matter how tired the Phantom Miracle was, his eyes always managed to stay deadpan. Even when he was in Akashi's body. Then again, he couldn't recall a time when the Captain had ever looked weary either. "Kise-kun, you say Midorima-kun's glasses are dorky, but your fans seemed to like the megane look."

"Ha ha ha! I know, right? It's such a puzzle."

"By the way, we're here already."

"What? Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

They leapt off the train on time. Kise had to pause to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"This is the first time I've experienced trauma disembarking from a train!"

"Sorry, Kise-kun. I should have paid more attention."

"Never mind. So where do we go next?"

"Over here. Follow me."

…..

The moment Aomine and Akashi entered the Ace's house, Aomine charged into his room and slammed the door in Akashi's face.

When he opened it, he was greeted by a livid Akashi.

"You have some nerve, Daiki. What was that for?"

"I was just cleaning up some of my stuff."

" _Never do that again."_

 _Yikes._ A chill crept down Aomine's back. The Captain's message couldn't have been clearer.

"In the first place, did you think I would have any interest in your magazines?" demanded Akashi, striding past Aomine and settling down on his bed, arms crossed. "Hurry and get it done with."

…..

"I'm home!" announced Kise cheerfully, bursting through the doorway like some dramatic stage actor.

Kuroko winced softly.

"Kise-kun, please remove your arm from my shoulder," he whispered.

Kuroko's grandmother, who had been watching TV, turned at the sound of her grandson's voice.

"Oh, Tetsuya!" she said warmly. "And another young man! Friend of yours, dear?"

"Yup! This is Akashi. We're the best of pals, aren't we, Akashi-cchi?"

"If you say so," said Kuroko exasperatedly.

"Aw, you don't have to be embarrassed," laughed Kise brightly. "So where are Mum and Dad?"

 _He's already considered himself a part of the family,_ noted Kuroko. He didn't know whether to be awed or dumbstruck.

"They're still at work," replied Kuroko's grandmother. "I heard you're going back to school?"

"Yup. We've got an important match this Saturday. This training camp will be leading up to that moment!"

"I see. Don't over-work yourself, OK?"

"Thanks! Come on, Akashi-cchi!"

It was sheer irony that Kuroko wished he could disappear at the moment.

Kise was oblivious to Kuroko's discomfort. "Your grandma is so cool, Kuroko-cchi! She noticed you immediately! Well, she is your grandmother after all."

…..

As soon as Midorima unlocked his front door, Murasakibara strode in as if he'd done it a million times before.

"I'm back!" he called lazily. "What's for dinner?"

"Shut up and follow me," growled Midorima, dragging Murasakibara to his room before his family had time to comment.

Unfortunately, they bumped into Midorima's sister in the hallway.

"Welcome back, big brother," she said casually. "You still haven't returned my skates, by the way."

"I did nanodayo," said Midorima shortly. "They're in the third row of the shoe rack."

His sister blinked at him in surprise.

"Huh? Who are you?"

 _Shoot._ Midorima clamped a hand over his mouth.

"I was practising ventriloquy," said Murasakibara, waving his hand languidly. There was a split second's pause before he remembered to add, "Nanodayo."

His sister gave him a funny look.

"OK… " Her eyes contracted, and she bent closer to him, frowning. "Hey. Why aren't you wearing glasses?"

"Oha Aha mentioned that glasses will bring Cancers bad luck today… nanodayo."

His sister nodded. "I see. Oh well. Have a safe trip later."

When the Miracles were safe in Midorima's room, Midorima pushed up his glasses and turned to face his teammate.

"Murasakibara, you saved me back there."

"Eh? Oh... Well, it wasn't too hard to imitate you," said Murasakibara, making himself at home on Midorima's bed.

Midorima began to unload his clothes. "You can help yourself to the fridge nanodayo," he said, so quietly that Murasakibara almost didn't catch it.

Murasakibara perked up. "Really? Mido-chin, you're the best!"

"Just this once nanodayo. And avoid interacting with anyone at all costs. If they speak to you, pretend your mouth is full."

"You got it!" Murasakibara leapt off the bed and made a beeline for the kitchen.

With a sigh, Midorima got back to packing.

…..

Kuroko was glad when he and Kise finally parted ways. However, he had no time to dwell on Kise's embarrassing behaviour, because he soon found himself at Akashi's house.

It was like a Victorian manor. The redbrick walls were decorated with flowered vines, and vibrant trees provided cool shade on the sun-lit lawn. Kuroko was amazed, but Akashi was indifferent.

"Walk with me Tetsuya," ordered the Captain, striding through the front door.

Kuroko found himself being led down corridor after corridor. The occasional servant passed them by, pausing briefly to give Kuroko a bow before moving on.

The atmosphere made Kuroko extremely nervous.

"Relax. My father is away on a business trip," said Akashi calmly. "Even if he was here, I doubt he would notice your presence."

He hadn't even turned once, but somehow he could sense Kuroko's discomfort. In any case, it did nothing to ease Kuroko. In another case of sheer irony, he now wished he were back at home with Kise.

"In here," said Akashi.

They rounded a bend. Kuroko found himself facing a door with delicate arched etchings.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" demanded Akashi.

Kuroko blinked. "You want me to open it?"

"Of course. I cannot have anyone witnessing a friend enter my room before me."

"OK." Slowly, Kuroko gripped the doorknob and twisted.

An elegant room swam into view.

Akashi switched on the lamps. The room glowed a warm, comfortable orange.

 _A fireplace?_ blinked Kuroko. _And a piano? What is this place?_

"Have a seat," said Akashi, gesturing to a cushioned chair.

Kuroko obeyed.

"Akashi-kun, your house really is incredible," he said, looking around at the ornate furnishings.

"It is just a matter of getting used to."

Kuroko didn't quite understand, but he was flattered to be able to step into his Captain's home.

…..

Kuroko's warning to Kise had been well-founded.

The minute Midorima walked into his house, he announced shortly, "I'm home nanodayo."

"He means he's home!" said Kise hurriedly. Quietly, he hissed at Midorima, "Drop your 'nanodayos' for now, won't you?"

Kise's father had the evening paper propped in front of him. He looked up at the two arrivals.

"Oh, welcome home, Ryouta. Who is this? A friend?"

"Just an acquaintance," said Midorima.

"Meanie!"

Just then, a beautiful woman appeared. Judging from the rag in her hands, she had been in the middle of washing the dishes.

"Ryo-kun, why are you carrying a pink hairdryer?" she asked in surprise.

"It's a gift from my – I mean, Kise-cchi's fans," said Kise hastily.

Midorima raised his eyebrows. _Kise-cchi?_

"How sweet! They must really adore you if they were willing to give away their own stuff."

"Indeed," said Midorima, tramping down the hallway. "Kuroko, let's go."

"Nice meeting you, m'am!" called Kise. "Midorima-cchi, can't you be more polite to my Mum? I mean, she's only the woman who raised me."

"I treated her no different from the way I do mine nanodayo."

"You treat your mother that way? Gosh, I feel sorry for her."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Kise laughed. "I was just kidding! Any mother would be able to see through her tsundere of a son!"

"I am not a tsundere nanodayo!"

Midorima flung open the door in front of him. And froze.

A girl – one of Kise's sisters, presumably – had just been on the brink of undressing.

"KYAAAAA! Ryo-kun, you idiot!" she shrieked, chucking a glittery-pink heel at Midorima, which hit him square in the head. " _Get out!_ "

Kise yanked Midorima back and practically threw them both into his room.

Once the door was locked, Kise rounded on his friend with a face red from embarrassment.

"Midorima-cchi, you big idiot!" he exclaimed, shaking his teammate. "Why did you have to go opening people's doors at random?!"

Midorima was stiff as a board. Clearly, he was incapable of speech.

Kise groaned loudly. "Man, thank God she was still decent! She'd have me skinned alive otherwise, no joke!"

He thought Midorima would regain his senses soon, but even after he'd finished packing, the Vice-Captain was still comatose.

Kise scratched his head. "This is going to be a problem," he said. Hoisting his bag over his shoulder, he seized Midorima's hand and pulled him along like some walking doll.

Kise's father glanced up from his paper.

"Leaving already?" he said. "Good luck, son!"

"Thanks!" called Kise awkwardly, and he was out the front door before his father could notice Midorima's behaviour.

…..

"Oh, great. The others are already on their way back," complained Aomine, scrolling through the text he'd just received. "I can't believe we're the last ones. Murasakibara, won't you hurry up?"

"But the snacks won't fit," said Murasakibara, trying to cram eight bags of chips into his sports bag. "And I still haven't packed my clothes."

" _Huh?_ You moron! You should have packed them in before the food!"

Murasakibara frowned, scratching his head. "No good, huh? Mine-chin, does your bag still have space?"

"Oh, to hell with it!"

Aomine shook the snacks out of Murasakibara's bag and jammed his clothes inside.

"There! Let's go!"

"But my chips… " Murasakibara eyed the snacks in despair.

"Leave them, damn it! Akashi's already banned you from eating them anyway! Get your butt moving already."

…..

Clutching the _omamori_ in her hand, Momoi stared at the futons she had laid out while waiting for the guys to return.

Kise and Midorima were the first to arrive.

"Midorin!" gasped Momoi. "There's a huge lump on your head!"

"He kind of deserved it," said Kise wryly. Midorima had recovered at the train station, but he was grimmer than ever.

"What happened?" asked Momoi, examining the lump worriedly.

"Do not ask nanodayo," said the Vice-Captain sharply.

"Eh? Why not? Ki-chan, do you know how this happened?"

Kise shrugged. "Sorry. He made me promise not to tell."

As soon as the rest of the team came back, Midorima's injury became the topic of conversation. It annoyed him thoroughly.

"We send Kise to accompany him, and he comes back like this," said Aomine, gesturing at Midorima exasperatedly. "It's a damn good thing we didn't let him go alone, huh Kise?"

Ignoring them completely, Midorima left for the showers.

They all had a late dinner before turning in.

"Another night in the barracks," sighed Aomine, staring up at the blank ceiling. Everyone was snuggled in their futons, but no one was looking forward to what the morning would bring.

"It's not so bad, Mine-chin," said Murasakibara sincerely. "These are quite comfortable."

"This coming from someone who falls asleep on his feet is not convincing."

"I sure hope Momo-cchi's plan works," said Kise. The manager had surmised that if sleeping with their own _omamori_ didn't work, then maybe sleeping with their counterparts' _omamori_ would reverse the effect.

"Quit worrying, Kise. You sound like Murasakibara's mother."

"Mine-chin, don't make me crush you."

"I'm surprised you can take this, Akashi-kun," remarked Kuroko.

"Eh? What makes you say that, Kuroko-cchi?"

"Because Akashi-kun has been living a luxurious life… "

"A luxurious life?"

"It is simply a matter of getting used to," said Akashi matter-of-factly.

"Akashi, you're not going to hand in that letter, are you?" asked Midorima.

"Seeing as your performance has not been subpar, I do not see the need for it. However, this does not mean you should sit back for Saturday's match."

"It doesn't matter whose body I'm in; I'll kick every one of their asses!" proclaimed Aomine.

"I did not ask for your opinion nanodayo," said Midorima, turning over in irritation.

The Miracles had trouble sleeping that night, but next door, Momoi was already in deep slumber.


	11. Chapter 11

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Murasakibara

Kise – Akashi

Midorima – Kuroko

Aomine – Midorima

Murasakibara – Aomine

Akashi – Kise

...

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

As soon as the first _beep_ of the alarm sounded, Kuroko was up like a shot.

He thought he was the first to awaken, but then he saw that Kise – or rather, whoever was inside of him– had beaten him to it.

Speaking of which, his own body felt remotely different. And the ground was a lot farther down than usual.

"You are awake?"

'Kise' was watching Kuroko from the corner where he sat, but his eyes lacked their usual friendly warmth.

"Good morning… " said Kuroko uncertainly, wondering if it was Midorima.

"I see. So you are Tetsuya," said 'Kise'.

"Akashi-kun?"

"Yes. It is me."

Nonplussed, Kuroko examined his new limbs. They were extraordinarily long, and so were his legs. He brought a lock of his hair into view.

Akashi's arms were folded, his face sombre. "So we have switched again. Was this the work of the _omamori_ after all…?"

"Akashi-kun, am I in Murasakibara-kun?"

"Since you just saw your hair colour, it should be obvious, shouldn't it?" said Akashi brusquely. Then he raised his head, frowning. "What are you doing?"

Kuroko was attempting to get to his feet.

"Standing," he said. "Ah, it's high. I feel dizzy… "

"Don't feel dizzy when you're barely two metres above the ground, idiot," groaned 'Midorima', sitting up with a cranky expression.

Kuroko blinked. "Midorima-kun, you've been awake all this time?"

"Long enough to know what happened. Damn it! Why did I have to end up in Midorima's body … "

"Aomine-kun? How did you know that you're in Midorima-kun's body?"

"How else? He's friggin' shortsighted!"

He had raised his voice a little too loudly; 'Akashi', who had been snoozing, jerked awake.

"Huh? What's going on?" he exclaimed, looking around the room blearily. "Did we oversleep?"

"No. It's still pretty early," assured Kuroko.

Suddenly, 'Akashi' leapt to his feet with a sharp cry.

"AH! That's right! _Did we swap back?_ _Did we?_ "

"Ryouta, stop running your hands all over my body," scowled Akashi.

"Akashi-cchi? You're in my body now?"

"Yes. It seems the _omamori_ were the cause after all, Kise-kun," said Kuroko.

"Which means the ones in Tetsu's body and mine are the Megane and the pig," said Aomine, scowling at the sleeping Miracles. "I don't know who would be worse having in my body."

 _"_ _I heard that."_

'Kuroko' had just opened one eye and was glaring at Aomine. "Your character is recognisable by your words alone nanodayo," he said gruffly.

Aomine scowled.

"AH? Don't forget who's in your precious body now! You won't catch _me_ taping _my_ fingers!"

Suddenly, Kise burst out laughing.

"Midorima-cchi, your bed hair is ridiculous!"

Midorima gaped at his teammate blankly.

"Bed hair?" he asked, feeling around his head. "What are you talking about?"

Aomine snorted too. "Pfft! Now that you mentioned it, it's really outrageous!"

"Sorry, Kuroko-cchi!" chortled Kise, when Kuroko gave them an exasperated look. "We're tickled because it's Midorima, not because it's you!"

"Enough," said Akashi sharply. "Someone wake Atsushi. This event has thrown a wrench in our plans. Right now, we need to make sure that we – "

At the moment, there was the sound of something being unlocked, and then the door flew open.

Momoi's silhouette filled the doorrway.

"Rise and shine, everyone!" she exclaimed spiritedly. "Oh! Tetsu-kun! It's you, isn't it? Only you would have such unruly hair in the morning! Looks like everything worked out after all!"

And she flew at Midorima, who flinched.

Aomine stood up, yawning widely. "The only thing that's worked out is total disaster, Satsuki."

"Eh? Dai-chan? _Eeehhh?!_ "

"The one in your arms is Midorima-cchi," Kise told her.

"Midorin?! Then - then where is Tetsu-kun?"

"The one who's dead to the world," said Aomine, gesturing to Murasakibara.

"Good thinking, Aomine-cchi!" laughed Kise, as Momoi jumped Murasakibara with a delighted cry and startled him awake.

"Sa-cchin! You scared me!"

Momoi blinked blankly. "Eh? Sa-cchin…?"

The basketball manager rounded on Aomine furiously. "Dai-chan, you meanie! This is Murasakibara-kun, not Tetsu-kun!"

Aomine shrugged indifferently. "Someone had to wake him."

"I was having such a nice dream, too," sighed Murasakibara. "An all-you-can-eat buffet totally free of charge… "

"Momoi-san, please stop springing on others like that," requested Kuroko. "It's not good for their hearts."

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi glomped Kuroko delightedly. "Found you! So you're in Mukkun's body now!"

"What? We've changed again? What a pain," groaned Murasakibara, making a face.

"Murasakibara, don't pull that mug with my face."

"It's your default expression nanodayo."

Kuroko and Kise restrained Aomine before he could let fly at Midorima.

Midorima, however, was distracted after checking his horoscope for the day.

"This is… this is not good nanodayo! No, it's catastrophic! I must seek an immediate remedy!"

"Hey," said Akashi in a dangerous tone; his gaze on them was like ice. "Are you not going to listen to me? Or do I have to resort to drastic measures?"

A nervous silence filled the air.

Reading the atmosphere, Satsuki smiled widely.

"Well, I'm off for a quick breakfast! See you at practice!"

And she skipped out without a moment's notice.

"Since dawn, I have been mulling over our problem," said Akashi, folding his arms. "And I have arrived at two conclusions: that the _omamori_ are indeed the source of our exchanges, and that they do not function the way we think they do. Now, our short-term solution will be this..."

...

"Hungry…" whined Murasakibara, trudging after Kise in the bustling school hallway. First period was about to begin. "Aka-chin is cruel... why did we have to skip breakfast to hear the same stuff he told us in training camp?"

"Murasakibara-cchi, why are you following me?" asked Kise curiously.

Murasakibara stared at him blankly.

"Eh…? Aren't we in the same class?"

"Yeah, but I'm Akashi-cchi now, you know? You're supposed to be with Aomine-cchi!"

"Why?"

"You're in Aomine-cchi's body now! Midorima-cchi and Aomine-cchi are classmates!"

"What? I don't understand… "

"There you are!"

Aomine was striding up to Murasakibara impatiently.

"Oh, Aomine-cchi! Good timing! Murasakibara-cchi got a little mixed up about our identities…"

"Seriously – you're such a handful," said Aomine, scowling at Murasakibara. "If you weren't in my body, I would have dragged you all the way to class. Come on!"

Murasakibara seemed unperturbed. "Who are you?"

"Idiot! I'm Aomine!"

"Good luck!" beamed Kise, waving the pair off.

...

"Akashi-sama! Good morning!"

The girls who were already in class called out to Kise warmly.

Kise was taken aback – he was used to being the centre of female attention, but not when he was in the Captain's body. Could this be the result of Kuroko's behaviour from yesterday?

"A good morning to you, too," he replied affably, trying to copy his Captain's formal style of speech.

The girls went into fits of happiness.

Feeling a little nervous, Kise took his seat. After yesterday's experience, the Miracles had made it a point to find out each other's timetables and seating arrangements beforehand.

Presently, Kise caught snatches of the girls' whispered exchanges.

"Hey, don't you think Akashi-sama looks really dashing today?"

"He did something to his hair, didn't he?"

After glimpsing his reflection earlier that morning, Kise's modelling instincts had kicked in.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have done it,_ he thought.

…..

"Kuroko-kun, I didn't know you wore glasses," said the girl sitting next to Midorima.

 _What is it with everyone and glasses?_ wondered Midorima exasperatedly. Half the world's population was myopic. It wasn't a big deal.

"Hey, Kuroko! What's that?" A chubby guy seated to his right pointed at the object on Midorima's desk.

"It's a musical box nanodayo," said Midorima. He had borrowed it from the Drama Club.

"Ooh! It's so pretty!" exclaimed the girl with fascination.

"Appearances are not important. What matters is its efficacy in warding off bad luck nanodayo."

They laughed at his statement.

"Kuroko-kun, you're so funny!"

Midorima was stunned. _Funny?_ _What about this is funny?_

"Why are you laughing? I'm being serious nanodayo," he said frowningly.

They laughed even harder. "Even the way he speaks is funny! Kuroko-kun, you ought to be a comedian!"

Midorima was annoyed. Was he supposed to endure these two idiots for the rest of the day?

"Kuroko, this isn't music class. Please put the box away," ordered his teacher.

Sniggers from the class. Red-faced, Midorima did as he was told.

It seemed that Oha Asa hadn't been lying – Cancers were in for a horrible day today.

...

Kuroko was taken aback when his teacher dropped the bomb.

"A pop quiz?" he repeated blankly. "But I haven't revised this month's topic."

"Why are you so worried? Japanese literature is your best subject," Akashi told him calmly. "If anything, Atsushi should count himself fortunate that you are the one taking the test for him."

Even having said that, the Captain was the first one to submit his paper.

"Wonderful, Kise! Full marks!" exclaimed his teacher at the end of class. "It seems you've finally decided to put some serious effort in your studies!"

"Needless to say," said Akashi calmly. "I have never lost at anything. And I certainly don't plan to."

"Hey, Kise? Are you feeling alright?" asked Hiraoka. "You've been acting odd since yesterday."

"I'm fine," said Akashi, without sparing a glance for his neighbour.

"Akashi-kun, maybe you should try to be more friendly," suggested Kuroko.

"What are you talking about?"

"MURASAKIBARA-CCHIIII!"

An enthusiastic voice broke the silence; Kise was waving to them from the corridor.

 _"_ Murasakibara-cchi! Kise-cchi! Let's have lunch togetherrrr!"

"Akashi, I've had enough humiliation to last me the day nanodayo," came Midorima's irritable voice.

"It's lunchtime already?" said Kuroko in surprise. "That was fast. I'm not even hungry yet."

His statement created a huge stir.

"Did you hear that? Murasakibara-kun said he wasn't hungry!"

"This has to be a first!"

"I think it is time we left," said Akashi, with a glance at the shocked students. "Let's go, Atsushi."

...

Practice was as bad as it had been the first day.

The Miracles had half the court to themselves. Akashi had arranged for them to play against each other, which meant that they were once more split up into two teams. Team A comprised Kuroko, Kise and Midorima; the rest were in Team B. The only difference was that Nijimura would be taking Akashi's place.

"Akashi-kun, why aren't you playing?" asked Momoi in surprise.

"I wish to observe," said Akashi, folding his arms impassively.

Nijimura was asking Kise the same question.

"What's wrong with Kise? Why isn't he joining practice?" asked the third year.

"Uh… he's not feeling well at the moment," bluffed Kise.

With Nijimura around, the Miracles had to avoid using their real names. It was a real pain, especially since they hadn't had time to get acquainted with their new identities.

"Man, I'm still not used to looking up at you, Murasakibara," said Aomine, craning his neck with difficulty.

Kuroko nodded. "Neither am I used to looking down on you, Midorima-kun."

"You don't have to rub it in."

"Midorima-cchi, you forgot to remove your tape," reminded Kise.

"Crap, you're right!"

Aomine had been strongly opposed to taping up his fingers, but Akashi gave him no options, saying he didn't want a single factor to compromise Midorima's performance. Aomine had vented his frustration by taping up his fingers so tightly, he was now having trouble unravelling them.

"Midorima-kun, are you OK?" asked Kuroko, watching his teammate struggling.

Furious, Aomine ripped out the strips with his teeth.

"Damn it! It's all sticky now," he groaned. "How the heck does mummifying his fingers help him to play better? And what's that noise?"

They all turned to look. Midorima's music box was sitting on the bench next to Momoi. Its lid was open, and a stream of soothing notes was pouring out of it.

" _Who the hell left a music box playing in the middle of practice?"_

 _"_ Midorima-cchi, you don't have to shout," protested Kise.

"Midorima-kun says it might help to nullify his bad luck," explained Kuroko. "He left Momoi-san in charge of winding it up."

His statement made Kise double up with ever. "This is definitely the weirdest b-ball practice I've ever seen!"

Nijimura was goggling at Kise.

"Akashi… is laughing?" he said in disbelief. "Kuroko, are you seeing this?"

Standing beside his senpai, Midorima had no idea what to say.

Aomine nudged Kise in the ribs. Catching sight of Nijimura, Kise coughed into his hand and tried to assume a solemn expression.

Midorima shook his head.

 _That moron._

Now Nijimura was staring at Midorima instead.

"By the way, Kuroko… since when did you wear glasses?" he asked puzzledly.

Midorima had had enough of these questions.

"None of your business nanodayo!" he said, stomping away angrily.

Nijimura was more bewildered than ever. " _Huh?_ What's his problem?"

Scowling, Aomine jogged up to the Vice Captain.

"Midorima, keep it together," he chided. "You're making Nijimura suspicious."

"Nijimura, I missed breakfast today, so excuse me if I seem to be a little weak," Murasakibara was now telling Nijimura.

Aomine whirled around in disbelief. " _What?"_

"Murasakibara-cchi!" hissed Kise. "Aomine-cchi's ego doesn't permit him to say things like, 'I seem to be a little weak."

"Eh? But… "

Plastering a smile on his face, Kise turned to Nijimura and waved. "It's fine! Aomine-cchi is just spouting excuses again!"

Nijimura stared at Kise in disbelief. Since when was Akashi capable of pulling such a goofy grin? And when did he start calling Aomine 'Aomine-cchi'?

It was Monday all over again.


	12. Chapter 12

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Murasakibara

Kise – Akashi

Midorima – Kuroko

Aomine – Midorima

Murasakibara – Aomine

Akashi – Kise

...

 **Chapter Twelve**

"What the deuce is going on?" groaned Nijimura.

Akashi was watching the events with a strange expression on his face. Sensing his agitation, Momoi tried to laugh it off.

"Ahaha! Looks like Nijimura is stressed about practice!"

Akashi's silence was not encouraging.

In the meantime, Kise was sweating buckets; Nijimura was looking at him weirdly, and Kise knew his senpai suspected something amiss. He had to try to throw dust into his senpai's eyes.

Mustering all the authority he could, Kise commanded, "In positions, everyone!"

Aomine rubbed the back of his head slowly. "Wait… who's in my team again?"

"Murasakibara-kun and Nijimura-senpai," confided Kuroko in a whisper. "Try to remember, Aomine-kun."

"Right. Thanks, Tetsu."

The game got off to a rocky start. Intending to catch the opponent by surprise, Kise charged through the court, but he was foiled by Aomine's instant appearance.

"Yo," grinned Aomine. "It's been a while since we've gone at it, Kise. As much as I hate to admit it, Midorima's body is way easier to adapt to. I'm not losing today."

Kise didn't want to admit it either, but he had never won in a one-on-one against the Ace. Still, he wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Working the ball furiously, Kise darted around, but Aomine was always a second quicker. Kise found himself doubling back again and again; finally, the ball was knocked out of his hands. He gave chase. Aomine was sprinting toward the hoop so fast it was hard to believe he was dribbling. The Ace jumped; the ball was about to roll off his palm but a large hand knocked it away.

"The heck?!"

Kuroko had appeared out of nowhere and smacked the ball out of Aomine's possession.

Kise caught the ball with a grin.

"Nice one, Murasakibara-cchi!"

"Tetsu! I thought you're on my team!" exclaimed Aomine.

"I said Murasakibara-kun is on your team," replied Kuroko in surprise.

"Goddamit! You were talking about the real Murasakibara?"

While Aomine was worked up, Kise had tossed the ball to Midorima. The Vice-Captain leapt up, the ball soaring out of his hands –

– and landing on the inside floor.

Midorima cursed. Just as he'd thought – Kuroko's physical limitations were impeding his shooting ability.

The real Murasakibara, who was standing beneath the hoop, picked up the ball almost lazily.

"Aomine!" shouted Nijimura, running over to his teammate.

Murasakibara threw the ball to his senpai. With the ball in his possession, Nijimura drove toward the basket. When Kise intercepted, Nijimura passed to Aomine, who tackled past Midorima and drew in for another shot.

 _Bam._ Once more, the ball was knocked out of Aomine's hands.

"Damn it, Tetsu!"

For the second time, Aomine had failed to see the Phantom Miracle. While Aomine was distracted, Kise swiped the ball and passed to Midorima. The Vice Captain attempted another three, only to miss the hoop completely.

"Not again!" groaned Kise, when Murasakibara caught the ball and pitched it at Nijimura.

Meanwhile on the bench, a dumbfounded Momoi was watching the game.

"This… is not good, is it?" she said, as Nijimura went for the basket again.

Akashi didn't reply, but his eyes had narrowed to mere slits.

Meanwhile, Midorima had intercepted Nijimura. The third-year tried to weave his way around, but Midorima caught up with his every move. Nijimura was startled by 'Kuroko's' sudden agility.

"You really have improved, Kuroko," smiled Nijimura. "It's admirable that you're attempting to make threes, but this isn't your style."

Midorima was well aware of this, which was why he was sticking to normal plays.

"You don't need to tell me nanodayo," he told his senpai shortly.

Nijimura blinked. _Nanodayo?_

 _Hold on,_ thought the third year, his gaze slicing to 'Kuroko's' left hand. _Has Kuroko always played with his left hand?_

"Nijimura!" yelled Aomine, moving into his senpai's view.

Nijimura ducked and spun, bringing the ball around as he did. Midorima moved to intercept, but Nijimura was already passing to Aomine. The Ace caught the ball and dribbled toward the basket, all with his right hand.

Nijimura paused, confused. Wasn't Midorima supposed to be left-handed?

And now that he thought about it, why wasn't Midorima attempting to land any of his threes today? Or yesterday, for that matter? All he had been doing was employing the run-and-gun method. In fact, the way he was playing now was highly reminiscent of Aomine's style.

Nijimura thought back to yesterday. Akashi's amateur performance and the fact that no one had noticed him in the middle of the game; Kuroko's unnatural advancement; Kise's glasses and three-point range; Murasakibara's sudden fast plays; Midorima's insistence on staying under the net; and Aomine's new ankle-break ability…

"Akashi," said Nijimura sharply.

Kise, who was standing nearby, turned with a nervous look.

"Yeah?"

"Have you been coaching Aomine?"

Kise tilted his head puzzledly. "Coaching? Not that I know of… I mean, no! No, I haven't."

Kise didn't like the look on his senpai's face. It was a deep and analysing look.

"You haven't?" repeated Nijimura.

Kise shook his head. "Not at all."

"Then perhaps you could explain how he came to use your ability yesterday."

Kise gulped. "Oh… that? Mu – I mean, Atsushi just happened to trip – "

"'Atsushi?' Weren't you calling him Murasakibara-cchi just a while ago?"

Droplets of sweat ran down Kise's forehead.

 _Not good! This is not good!_

"Is something wrong?" asked Aomine, suddenly appearing between them. "We're in the middle of a game, in case you've forgotten, Captain."

"That's a pretty interesting right hand, Midorima," said Nijimura, gazing at the ball pinned between Aomine's arm and waist. "It's been doing all the work for you."

"Huh?" frowned Aomine. "The hell are you saying?"

"Mi- _Shintarou,_ " hissed Kise, trying to signal to his teammate to stay quiet.

"Speaking of which, you guys have all been acting wacky since yesterday," continued Nijimura suspiciously. "Calling each other by the wrong names, Akashi disappearing for half the game without anyone realising, Midorima, staying under the net the whole time. And now Kuroko is the one wearing glasses and aiming for threes, while Aomine holds the inside fort. It's as if, as if you've _become_ each other or something!"

Akashi was on his feet now. Momoi and the rest of the Miracles were watching the scene as if glued to the floor.

"Well, Akashi?" prompted Nijimura. "I'd seriously like to know what's going on."

Aomine's scowl deepened.

"Is that the way to speak to your Captain?" he demanded, secretly nudging Kise as he did so.

Catching on, Kise tried to look affronted as well. He drew himself up and said remotely, "You should not question me in that tone, Nijimura. How we play is no concern of yours."

"Um… is everything OK?"

The three of them jumped. Kuroko had just popped out of nowhere, his face full of concern.

"Murasakibara?" uttered Nijimura, blinking. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here for a while," said Kuroko, just as Kise and Aomine covered his mouth.

 _Kuroko-cchiii! You're blowing our cover!_

"There! That's exactly what I'm talking about," said Nijimura angrily. "No one but Kuroko can just appear out of the blue like that. Yesterday it was Akashi, and now it's Murasakibara! And what about Akashi's new pet names for everyone?"

"Pet names?" protested Kise. "It's just a form of respect!"

This time, it was Aomine who slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Kise, you planning to die early?" he hissed.

Nijimura folded his arms.

"Alright. Are you guys having me on?"

"You would not believe the truth even if we told you, Nijimura," said Akashi quietly.

It wasn't only the Captain who had finally approached the scene; the rest of the Miracles had gathered around as well.

"What do you mean?" asked Nijimura, now facing the Captain with a bemused look.

"I had hoped to keep it from the others, but it seems we are unable to hide it from you. You are not our previous Captain for nothing."

Nijimura found this impassive Kise rather unsettling. Warily, he asked, "What do you mean by 'the truth'?"

"Aka – Kise, are you sure this is a good idea?" questioned Midorima uncertainly. "Who's to say he'll even believe us?"

"Believe what, Midorima-cchi? That I have been coaching everybody on how to Copy each other's styles?"

The others blinked in unison.

WHAT?

Nijimura was astonished. "You've been doing that, Kise? Why didn't you say anything?"

"It is not my obligation to inform others of my doings."

 _Huh? That was totally something Akashi would say,_ thought Nijimura in alarm. _Why is he speaking so differently? Everyone's acting so creepy. Even Akashi…_

He glanced sidelong at the Captain, who had an uncharacteristically edgy look.

 _He does not seem to be convinced,_ observed Akashi. _Does he doubt my words? Still, even if he suspects it, there is nothing he can prove._

Looking pained, Nijimura finally reached a decision.

"Very well," he said at last. "In that case, I won't ask further."

Akashi nodded.

Over on the bench, Momoi breathed a sigh.

 _Phew! I thought we were in for it…_

"Then, let us resume," said Kise, trying not to let his relief show. Akashi had saved the team for now, but the rest would be up to them.

Unfortunately, the Miracles' minds were still a little jumbled.

 _A Misdirecting Murasakibara is a double whammy,_ thought Aomine. He would have to bring the real deal into the fray.

"Oi, Ak – I mean, Mura – no, Aomine, damn it!" Aomine almost bit his tongue trying to properly address his teammate. "Step out and give us a hand! They're not scoring points, but neither will we at this rate!"

With a yawn, Murasakibara came trudging over.

"It's because you're letting Kuro-chin steal your thunder, Mine-chin," he said impatiently.

 _Now he's calling people by their real names?_

Aomine glanced hastily at Nijimura, but the third year didn't appear to have heard.

"You dolt," Aomine hissed at Murasakibara. "Stop using our real names already. Besides, whose body do we have to thank for it?"

After making certain that Nijimura was out of earshot, Kuroko asked Midorima, "Midorima-kun, are you OK? I apologise for giving you trouble."

"There is no need for you to apologise nanodayo.

"OK. Thank you, Midorima-kun."

"There is no need to thank me either nanodayo."

"Ah, Midorima-cchi! Ever the tsundere," grinned Kise as he threw an arm around Midorima's shoulders.

"Kise, unhand me nanodayo," frowned Midorima.

"Sorry!" laughed Kise, obliging. "You look so much like Kuroko that I can't help behaving like this."

"Kise-kun, be careful," warned Kuroko.

Kise smiled and waved a hand airily. "Don't worry. Look, our senpai is currently talking strategy to Aomine-cchi and Murasakibara-cchi."

In fact, Nijimura was touching on a far different subject.

The third year had folded his arms as he gazed upon his teammates. "It's hard to believe that you've all learnt how to Copy each other, but does it have something to do with Aomine calling Murasakibara 'Kuro-chin'?"

 _Crap! So he_ did _hear that!_

Aomine feigned indifference by scratching the back of his head.

"Look, we've wasted enough time," he said. "Let's get on with the game, alright?"

Nijimura wasn't fooled, but nevertheless, he let the case drop for now.

As the third year took up position at the midcourt line, Murasakibara said, "You know, I'm surprised that Nijimura swallowed Aka-chin's words so easily."

Aomine, who was getting tired of the subject, said irritably, "Oh, who cares?"

With Midorima in Kuroko's body, even if Aomine were to beat the Vice Captain, it wouldn't be a fair match. But Kuroko himself was proving to be a challenge, and Aomine disliked being on the losing end.

"Listen up, Murasakibara – we're going to double-team Tetsu," he instructed. _Never thought the day would come when I'd be saying this_. "So Murasakibara, if I lose the ball again, you'll be there to retake it."

"OK," said Murakibara idly.

Aomine sighed; having to witness a lazy version of himself was shaping up to be another challenge.

The game began.

As if to make up for his lack of threes, Midorima was defending Nijimura to the death. Watching himself playing so expertly, Kuroko was filled with a deep sense of awe. He sometimes forgot that shooting wasn't Midorima's only forte.

Unable to find an opening through Midorima's aggressive defence, Nijimura was forced to pass. Aomine caught the ball running and made it all the way to the hoop.

As expected, Kuroko dashed the ball from his hands at the last second.

"Not this time, Murasakibara!" shouted Aomine.

The real Murasakibara, who had been on the brink of grabbing the ball, stopped short at the Ace's words.

"Eh?"

Quick as lightning, Midorima stole the ball and was off before either Aomine or Murasakibara could react.

Aomine made to move, but a human screen appeared in the form of Kuroko.

Aomine skidded to a halt, but he couldn't avoid crashing into Kuroko. If the Phantom Miracle had been in his real body, Aomine would have knocked him down flat.

"Move it, Tetsu!"

The delay bought Midorima enough time to reach his end of the hoop unscathed.

"The real Kuroko is here nanodayo!" yelled Midorima, leaping up.

The ball sank through the net in a magnificent arc.

"Wow, he did it!" gasped Kise. "But it's.. a two?"

Kuroko's eyes were sparkling.

"Wow," he said softly. He had no idea he could look so cool shooting a basket. "Midorima-kun, you really are amazing."

"But because it was a normal shot, he didn't have time to turn around and walk away," chortled Kise.

"Hmph," smiled Midorima. He was glad he had made the shot despite his terrible luck. As always, basketball never failed him.

"Murasakibara!" fumed Aomine, stomping toward his teammate. "Why didn't you take the ball? It was right in front of your nose!"

"But you told me not to," protested Murasakibara, pouting in annoyance. "Mine-chin, you shouldn't be so fickle-minded."

Aomine didn't even have the energy left to argue.

"Captain, I would like to make a member change," he told Kise.

"Eh? Oh, OK. Switch with… Tetsuya, then."

It took Aomine a second to work out what he meant.

"You mean Tetsu – I mean, Kuroko or Midorima?"

Kise also looked confused. "I meant Shintarou."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Akashi?" frowned Nijimura.

 _Yikes! Not again._

"OK, Kuroko it is!" exclaimed Aomine, hurriedly shoving Murasakibara forward and pulling Midorima toward him.

"What? I didn't give you my consent nanodayo," protested Midorima.

"Captain's orders, Kuroko," returned Aomine.

"Whoa, I don't look as tall as I thought," remarked Murasakibara, gazing up at Kuroko languidly.

"Please be careful of what you say, Kuroko-kun," reminded Kuroko.

"Oh, right," said Murasakibara, as though it was something anybody would forget. "I'm kind of disappointed that Aka-chin isn't playi – I mean, isn't using his Emperor Eye. I wanted to see his Bottom Buster."

"His what?" said Nijimura, convinced he had heard wrong.

"It's Akashi-kun's new technique," explained Kuroko.

"No, it's the same technique but with a different name nanodayo," said Midorima exasperatedly. "Wait! That's not the problem here. Since when did we acknowledge it as an official term?"

"OK, OK, break it up. We've got a game to play," said Kise heartily.

Aomine was exhausted with this whole business. Nijimura noticed his expression.

"Don't look so glum," said Nijimura, clapping him on the back. "It's unlike you to be dispirited, Aomine."

"Ha… " grunted Aomine. Then he did a double take.

 _Did Nijimura just use my real name?_

"Back in positions, everyone!" called Nijimura. "Akashi, it's all yours!"

 _Huh,_ Aomine frowned at the third year pensively _. Maybe I was imagining things._


	13. Chapter 13

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Murasakibara

Kise – Akashi

Midorima – Kuroko

Aomine – Midorima

Murasakibara – Aomine

Akashi – Kise

...

 **Chapter Thirteen**

As usual, basketball practice with the Generation of Miracles was nothing short of intense.

It had been on a kind of impulse that Nijimura had called Midorima 'Aomine'. Everything about the present Midorima was like an absolute reflection of the Ace to the point where Nijimura couldn't help but think it really _was_ him. And the same went for the other Miracles, too.

But Midorima had reacted to the name like it was nothing. It was this detail that pointed Nijimura to an impossible belief, but one that would otherwise make complete sense.

 _Am I overthinking it?_ he wondered uneasily. _I must be crazy._ _But there's no harm in making sure…_

'Aomine' was now lumbering toward the the opponents' hoop.

"Let's give it our all, Murasakibara," said Nijimura, as the Miracle passed him.

"Yup."

Nijimura eyed 'Aomine' suspiciously.

 _He brushed it off as well? This is abnormal…_

Murasakibara planted himself right on the inside and stared at Kuroko, who stared back blankly.

"Mura-chin, this is my turf," said Murasakibara.

"Your place is on the floor, Aomine-kun."

"No, this is my place."

"Daiki, stop fooling around," ordered Kise disdainfully. "Get back here and mark Nijimura."

"Oh… Kise-kun is being fierce…" said Kuroko, looking nonplussed.

 _And they're back to addressing each other correctly,_ observed Nijimura, as 'Aomine' stumped toward the third year unhappily. _Damn… if Aomine really is Murasakibara, this spells trouble. His defence is virtually impenetrable. Even Aomine has a hard time breaking past him. But if Aomine is Murasakibara, then Murasakibara would be… Kuroko?_

Kise drove toward the hoop with all he got. In an instant, Aomine had stolen the ball from him.

"Don't give up, Akashi-kun!" yelled Momoi from the bench.

Kise almost waved, but he checked himself. Midorima kept pace with the Ace all the way to the hoop.

Kuroko burst into the scene. In a fast motion, Midorima shielded Aomine from the Phantom.

"You're not stopping me this time, Murasakibara!" yelled Aomine, dunking the ball with relish; the backboard shuddered from the force.

Midorima was shocked.

"You idiot! Do you want to break another hoop?" he snapped.

Nijimura hadn't moved the whole time.

 _There's no doubt about it. The way Murasakibara just appeared like that… only Kuroko could have done it._

"Senpai, why aren't you doing anything?" questioned Murasakibara. He'd had his arms spread out, all ready to block the third year, only to find that his mark wasn't keen on moving a muscle. "You're making my job too easy."

 _I know better than to try to break past you,_ thought Nijimura exasperatedly. He'd lost count of the number of times Murasakibara had shut down his offense.

"It's not my fault if it breaks, you Megane!" Aomine was bickering with Midorima. "Instead of complaining, you should be grateful I came to practice at all!"

"You only came because Akashi ordered you nanodayo!"

"Break it up already," snapped Kise. "I don't recall raising a team that crosses swords every time they blink. Daiki, ease up on the dunks or I will make sure the hoop is not the only thing that gets broken."

Nijimura was taken aback. _Huh… could Akashi be the only real thing here?_

 _That's the way, Kise-kun!_ thought Momoi with satisfaction. _You might lack Akashi-kun's bone-chilling intimidation, but you're holding it up well!_

Midorima and Aomine didn't seem at all intimidated. However, Kise's front had stunned them enough that they forgot their anger.

"Whatever. I know how to control my strength," muttered Aomine, tramping away.

Kuroko trudged up to Kise.

"Kise-kun, that was pretty cool," he said, out of range of Nijimura's hearing.

Kise's face lit up. "Really? I was actually pretty nervous. So you thought I was cool, huh?"

Kise looked over the moon, which puzzled Kuroko. He had only paid him a small compliment.

 _I'm glad that happy idiot isn't our Captain,_ thought Midorima, sighing at the elastic grin on Kise's face. _Anyway, we have to do something about Murasakibara. Nijimura can't do anything with that guy as his mark._

"Nijimura, you should switch marks with Midorima," Midorima told the third-year. "That way, we'll have a better chance of taking them down nanodayo."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who this Miracle was.

Nijimura nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."

Kise was surprised to see Nijimura moving toward him.

"Did you trade with Ao-Daiki?"

"Yeah," said Nijimura. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Kise _was_ disappointed. He'd been hoping to go up against Aomine for the whole game.

Nijimura studied Kise surreptitiously. Was he Akashi, or was he not? Had the Miracles really swapped places, or was it all a part of his imagination? It was driving him crazy not knowing.

 _Or maybe I really am crazy. How is it possible for anyone to switch bodies?_

"Nijimura-kun doesn't look very well," stated Momoi. The third year was standing in a sort of painful daze.

 _Bonk._ Just as she said it, the spaced-out senpai was knocked down by a pass.

"Ah – Nijimura-kun!"

"Nijimura, are you alright?"

"Are you OK, senpai?" asked Murasakibara exasperatedly, as Midorima helped the third year to his feet. "That wasn't difficult to catch, you know."

"Maybe you should lie down," suggested Midorima. "We can have Kise trade places with you nanodayo."

 _What? Trade places?_ Nijimura's heart beat furiously.

Momoi shook her head sympathetically.

"This is bad. Even Nijimura-kun is getting bent out of shape."

"It seems he is struggling to come to terms with the truth," said Akashi with a faint smile. "Interesting. I am almost tempted to tell him myself."

"Huh? But didn't you just lie to him?"

"What is wrong with that?"

"Well, he definitely won't be happy about it, to say the least."

"I'm sure he will understand the necessity for a lie that is meant to protect the team."

Momoi sighed. "Saying that really makes you sound like the Team Captain."

"I amthe Captain."

Akashi suddenly turned; Nijimura was feet from them, rubbing the aching spot on his head. He stopped, however, to fix Akashi with a serious frown.

"You're the Captain?" he asked. "So I was right? you guys have really become each other?"

Akashi responded with an icy stare. "Nijimura, do you realise how ridiculous you sound?"

Nijimura was momentarily taken aback. The guy in front of him had Kise's face, but there was no mistaking Akashi's lofty attitude.

"Yes," said Nijimura defensively. "I am aware of it."

"Good. I did not expect to deceive you for long."

Nijimura gaped at Akashi. "My God. Is it – is it really you, Akashi?"

"Hello," smiled Akashi. "Remember the last time I said this to you?"

Immediately, Nijimura recalled the day when he had stepped out of the teachers' lounge after speaking to Coach Sanada. He had bumped into Akashi right after, whose first word to him had been, "Hello."

"You mean the day I relinquished my position as the Team Captain," said Nijimura. He almost said, "Back when your eyes were still identical," but he caught himself on time. "So, Momoi… she knew it all along?"

"Knew it?" said Akashi somewhat irritably. "She was the catalyst for this bothersome disaster."

Momoi gave an embarrassed laugh. "Come on, Akashi-kun! I already said I was sorry."

"What do you mean?" asked Nijimura in confusion. "

Momoi explained to the third year about the _omamori._ She had gotten to the part where they were having their first practice session when the other Miracles approached the bench.

"What's the hold up here?"

Midorima and Aomine had their arms folded. Kuroko looked confused, while Murasakibara merely appeared bored.

"It's OK, everyone. You can all relax now," announced Momoi brightly. "Nijimura-kun is officially in the know!"

"So you did tell him nanodayo," sighed Midorima.

Nijimura eyed Midorima awkwardly. "I knew it. I knew there was something Midorima-ish about you."

"Senpai, can you guess who I am?" asked Kuroko.

"A Misdirecting Murasakibara?" said Nijimura with a small sigh. "It's obvious. You're Kuroko."

"What about me, senpai? Can you guess who I am?" asked Kise eagerly.

Nijimura stared at Kise impassively. "Let's see… you got beat by Aomine, and you have demonstrated no unique abilities so far. You're Kise, no doubt about it."

"Nijimura-senpai, I think you should go easy on him," said Kuroko, as Kise turned and slouched off in a state of depression.

"Seeing this side of Akashi is hard for me, too," said Nijimura truthfully.

"Are we good to go?" asked Aomine impatiently. "Nijimura already knows everything, right? This means we don't have to keep up the facades anymore."

"Aomine-kun, have you developed a liking for practice?" asked Kuroko hopefully.

"Nope. But since I'm here, it's all or nothing."

Now it was Kuroko's turn to be dejected.

"Let's go nanodayo," said Midorima. The rest of the team made their way back to the court, stretching their arms and craning their necks.

"Cheer up, Kuroko-cchi," said Kise encouragingly. "Tell you what, I'll let you be the Captain from now on. Sounds good?"

Kuroko eyed him, but didn't say anything. Kise raised his voice.

"Hey, everyone! Listen up! Until I say otherwise, Kuroko-cchi will be the new Captain!"

"Oh? That's news to me."

Kise froze, recognising his own voice. "A – Akashi-cchi?"

Akashi's gaze was level with Kise's. "And what gives you the authority to pass on my position, Acting Captain?"

"I-it was just a joke, Akashi-cchi! Come on, Kuroko-cchi, we're keeping the others waiting! Huh? Kuroko-cchi, where did you go?"

He spied the Phantom Miracle, who had already joined the others on the court.

"Ah! Kuroko-cchi, you meanie! How could you leave me?"

Akashi strode past Kise. "I shall be taking back my position now."

Kise brightened. Finally! He could go back to being himself.

Nijimura was issuing instructions to his teammates.

"Midorima, keep up the twos. I will have… Aomine… on standby, in case… Kuroko… intercepts your shots."

...

"Man, today was another crazy day," yawned Aomine. The Miracles were so bushed from practice that they were even looking forward to curling up on their thin futons. "Midorima, will you shut that thing up?"

"The key is stuck nanodayo," said Midorima in frustration. "Having a faulty lucky item is the ultimate bad luck."

"Then put it in the trash already! It's driving me nuts."

"Wouldn't that be a lucky thing?" chortled Kise.

"Don't, Aomine-kun. If you damage Akashi-kun's body…" said Kuroko warily.

"I'm hungry," complained Murasakibara.

"You would be," said Aomine through gritted teeth.

"I'm so tired I don't have the appetite to eat," lamented Kuroko.

"That's no good, Kuroko-cchi! You have to keep up your strength."

After hitting the showers, the Miracles returned to the bunk.

To their surprise, Momoi and Nijimura were already there. So was Akashi, who had finished his bath early.

"Hey," said Nijimura, who was still wearing his jersey. As he spoke, he jerked his thumb at a bag sitting on the floor. "I've bought fried rice for you guys. Don't worry about us – we've had our share."

"Nijimura-senpai, you're the best!" exclaimed Murasakibara ecstatically, leaping on the bag like some starved animal.

"The shortest way to Murasakibara's heart is through his stomach nanodayo," said Midorima.

"Nijimura-senpai, what are you doing here?" asked Kuroko.

"I wanted to talk with everyone," smiled Nijimura. "About the 'identity crisis', as Momoi aptly puts it. I was just discussing with Akashi about what his long-term solution was."

Kise was greatly moved.

"Nijimura-senpai, you're the best senpai ever!" he cried, throwing his arms around the third year tearfully.

"Isn't he?" beamed Momoi. "I think I might have fallen for him! Oh, but don't get me wrong - Tetsu-kun is still my number one!"

"No… please don't fall for me," said Nijimura wearily.

Akashi pulled Kise off the third year.

"Ryouta, what did I tell you about carrying out affectionate acts?" he demanded.

Nijimura rubbed his head awkwardly. "As I thought… I still can't get used to seeing Akashi acting like a kid."

"Whaaat? Are you saying I'm a kid?" protested Kise unhappily.

"I agree with Senpai," said Kuroko.

"Kuroko, I thought you said we should go easy on Kise," said Nijimura, as Kise retreated into a dark corner with his back to them.


	14. Chapter 14

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Murasakibara

Kise – Midorima

Midorima – Aomine

Aomine – Kise

Murasakibara – Akashi

Akashi – Kuroko

...

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Over the next few days, the Miracles kept hard at practice.

It turned out that Nijimura had some good advice to dish out.

"Seeing as you won't change when sleeping with the same omamori as your last swap, keep it as that," was what he had told them. "We can't afford to have you switching with the game in the horizon. We'll deal with how to revert you back after we win."

Aomine's overconfidence was also getting the better of him.

"You know, I'm pretty used to Midorima's body now," he said indolently. "I don't think my presence is relevant."

Akashi said calmly, "I figured you would say that, Daiki. As insurance, I went over to Kaisei and spoke with their Captain."

"You did what?" said Aomine in disbelief.

"So that's where you disappeared to the other day!" exclaimed Kise.

Akashi folded his arms, gazing at his team impassively. "I told him we would not simply win. We would match their score – tenfold."

Kise's eyes bulged out. "Say WHAT?"

"Tenfold?" exclaimed Midorima. "Akashi, you're joking right?"

"They're a strong team," said Kuroko worriedly. "They managed to double every team's score in the last nationals."

"Then," continued Akashi coldly, "go ahead and skive all you want. Losing the bet is fine. I will simply send the second string to participate in the next championship game, in our stead."

Even Murasakibara groaned. The second string were skilled, but they were light years from playing half as well as the Miracles.

"But the game is tomorrow," protested Aomine furiously. "What good will it be if I practised one more day?"

"I have no concern for your presence today. This is to make sure every one of you gives your all."

"And the Coach agrees with you?"

"Yes."

"Damn it, Akashi!"

"Daiki." Akashi's eyes bored into Aomine's. "Are you defying me?"

 _Yes._ The word almost slipped out of Aomine's mouth. But what he managed instead was a disgruntled, "No."

"Then we shall practise."

...

Morning came, and with it, disaster.

It was a bloodcurdling scream that woke them.

"Noooooo!" screeched Kise, gaping at his reflection in Momoi's hand mirror as if it were some nightmarish creature.

Aomine sat up so fast he got the spins. "What's your problem?" he snapped. "Did you dream about losing or something, Midorima?"

Then he clammed up. _He_ was supposed to be in Midorima's body, so why was Midorima right in front of him?

"Aomine-cchhhiiii! We've changed _again!_ " whined Kise.

"No," muttering Aomine, refusing to believe. "No, no, no, no, no, no."

"See for yourself!" Kise shoved the mirror in his face. Aomine saw Kise's face staring back at him in growing horror.

"ARGH!" Aomine mussed up his own hair violently. "Now I'm in _Kise's_ body? You've got to be kidding me!"

At that moment, not-Akashi sat up groggily.

"Is it time already?" he mumbled, yawning until his mouth was a cavernous pit.

"Murasakibara-cchi!" whined Kise, near tears. "What should we dooooo?"

"Stop it! You're not helping things," snapped Aomine. "How did you know who I was in the first place?"

"I don't know… your attitude?"

Murasakibara peered at his reflection blearily. "What, we've changed again? What a mountain of pain."

"How can you say it so calmly?" wailed Kise. "Don't you know the game is today?"

"Are you a crybaby? Knock it off already!" said Aomine irritably.

It was Midorima's turn with the mirror.

"And now it's Aomine nanodayo…" he sighed, setting it down. He eyed Kise and the real Aomine, who were still quibbling. "Kise, stop crying nanodayo. Don't forget you're wearing my face now."

"Kuroko-cchi, everyone's being so mean!" whined Kise, hugging not-Murasakibara, who had been watching silently the whole time.

Aomine paled. "Oi, Kise! That's not Kuroko!"

"Oh!" Kise released not-Murasakibara. Who was this? If he wasn't Kuroko, then…

Kise retreated ten feet in a flash.

"Eek! Sorry, Akashi-cchi! I didn't mean to hug you or anything…!"

Not-Murasakibara blinked. "I'm not Akashi-kun. I'm Kuroko."

Kise blinked. "WHAT?"

The door slid open. A towering figure filled the doorway, blanketing the five Miracles in shadow.

Then the figure stepped in, the shadow fading from his face, and they saw that it was only not-Kuroko.

"This is an unforeseen setback," he said quietly. "Did you not sleep with the right _omamori_?"

"Akashi-kun," said Kuroko. He looked extremely contrite. "I'm sorry, Akashi-kun. This was my doing. My _omamori_ tumbled out last night."

He held up the amulet. Everyone looked at him.

"Your _omamori…_?" frowned Akashi. "Explain."

"I was trying to avoid Kise-kun," described Kuroko. "For some reason, he kept moving toward me even though he was fast asleep. My omamori must have fallen out while I was edging away."

"I did?" said Kise in astonishment.

Aomine grabbed Kise by the front of his shirt. "So we're in this mess because of you!"

"it hurts! Aomine-cchi, you're becoming more violent everyday!"

"It's not Kise-kun's fault, Aomine-kun," said Kuroko. "If I had stashed it properly, this wouldn't have happened… "

"It's no one's fault, Kuroko," said Midorima. "Blame it on misfortune nanodayo."

Akashi nodded. "It would certainly explain why Tetsuya alone has remained unchanged."

In that moment, something stirred behind them. When they turned to look, they saw a surprised Nijimura standing in the doorway. He was dressed in casual clothing, something they hadn't seen before.

"Why are all of you still here?" demanded the third-year. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to leave?"

"Why are _you_ here?" returned Akashi.

"I came to watch you play, of course," said Nijimura. "And I also need a word with Akashi. Anyway, you need to hurry! The match starts in a couple of hours."

"My chaffeur will be delivering us personally," said Akashi. "And I am Akashi."

Nijimura's jaw dropped. "Huh? You guys had another episode?"

"Call it an accident and leave it at that. Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

They stepped out to talk. The Miracles exchanged looks.

"Akashi's chaffeur will be delivering us?" said Aomine. "Since when did a simple practice match blow up into a federal case?"

The Captain returned moments later.

"Listen up," he said. "Momoi has gone ahead to settle a few things. Soon, we will also be making preparations. But first…" Akashi raised his eyes again, contemplating them all. "As you well know, I once mentioned that victory is prioritised over teamplay. But not this time. In two hours, we will all be unified and undivided."

"Who are you and what have you done with Akashi-cchi?" said Kise in bemusement.

"We've been able to score better as individuals nanodayo," protested Midorima.

Akashi shook his head. "Until now, we have been playing for a team. Today, we will be playing as a team."

"So you want us to hold hands and match their score tenfold at the same time?" said Aomine incredulously. "Being a Miracle doesn't mean we can just conjure one out of thin air!"

But Kuroko couldn't have looked happier.

"I'm all for it," he said with a smile. He never thought he would get to play with his team as a proper team again.

"Only for today," repeated Akashi. "I assure you, it is not in my interest to return to our old style."

"May I ask why you're doing this?" asked Midorima.

Akashi gazed at them silently. "You will find out soon enough."

…..

Momoi was beginning to regret her lone reconnaissance. The entire Kaisei team was already present, and they seemed highly determined to show off every skill set they possessed.

"That's got to be the third time he's pulling that move," she grumbled under her breath. The food container pressed on her legs slid down; she shifted it back to a safe position. "Do they want to use up all their fuel before the match begins?"

"Momoi."

Momoi's eyes widened when she saw her senpai approaching.

"Nijimura-san! Did you come to watch the game?"

"Yes." Nijimura sat down beside her. He looked a little tired. Momoi wasn't surprised; the third-year had been spending late nights with the Miracles ever since he'd learnt about their predicament. Not to mention the worry must be eating away at him as much as it was at her. Seeing the exhaustion in his face, Momoi really treasured her senpai. "Akashi and the others are here as well. They're in the changing room now."

Momoi looked up at him worriedly. "How are they? Akashi called me about what happened this morning."

"They're… coping." Nijimura looked unsure about his answer, but he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about them, Momoi. I'm sure they'll be fine."

Momoi bit her lip. She gave the container a squeeze and stood up.

"Thank you for telling me, senpai. I'm going to look for them. Please warm the bench for me."

Nijimura nodded. "Right." _Although 'warm the bench' isn't exactly the appropriate term…_

…..

As Momoi ran, the container in her hands made soft sloshing noises.

 _I hope they pull through it,_ she thought, her hair whipping wildly in her fluster. _I can't believe such a thing would happen right before the match. Anyway, where are they? I need to give them these lemon slices before the match starts. I've put all my heart and soul into it so it will bring them luck._

She skidded to a halt. Akashi had just appeared around the corner, looking utterly bored.

"Dai-chan? Is it you?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"If I say yes, will you give me these lemon slices?"

"Mukkun!" Momoi half-laughed in her breathlessness. "Of course! I made them for you guys. But no hogging, OK?"

It was the fake Midorima who came next.

"Midorin! No, wait…?"

Not-Midorima's face brightened. "Momo-cchi, it's me!"

"Ki-chan! So you're in Midorin's body now. Here, I've got something for you!"

Now she spotted the fake Kuroko and Aomine approaching.

"Are you Tetsu-kun?" she asked not-Aomine.

"Quite the contrary nanodayo."

"None of you has seen Tetsuya either?" inquired not-Kuroko.

"I saw him with the real Aomine-cchi just now," said Kise.

Now the fake Murasakibara and Akashi appeared.

"You were looking for me, Momoi-san?" asked not-Akashi.

"Not in particular, but here!"

She thrust the container into Kuroko's arms. Kuroko looked down and saw four lemons swimming inside a yellow sea.

Momoi lowered her head shyly. "I made these for you guys. Yours is the biggest, though."

"Fawner," said Aomine.

Momoi pouted. "Dai-chan! Don't be mean."

"I told you not to call me Dai-chan!"

"Sacchin, you were supposed to slice them up first," complained Murasakibara, examining his own lemon wistfully.

"Really?" Momoi blushed. "I'm sorry…"

Kuroko gave her a warm smile. "Thank you, Momoi-san. They look delicious."

Momoi was on cloud nine.

When the Miracles entered the gym, the Kaisei team stopped to watch. One of them, a guy with outrageous spiky hair, grinned snidely. He reminded them awfully of a certain former team member,

"That's their Captain," whispered Momoi. "His name is – "

"Spiky dude is _their_ Captain?" said Aomine in disbelief. "He looks like he should be in some dark alley beating the crap out of innocents."

Kise eyed the guy distastefully. "Not sure I want to know his name."

"Then, let's just call him Captain," suggested Murasakibara.

"I don't think Akashi will like that nanodayo," said Midorima.

Akashi said indifferently, "Whatever you call him, as long as we win, it does not matter to me."

Kise applauded. "Well said, Captain! I mean, Akashi-cchi."

They had a few minutes to warm up. Ignoring the scornful eyes of the Kaisei members, the Generation of Miracles stepped onto the court.

Aomine dribbled on the spot. He looked put off.

"This is by far the worst swap ever."

Kise paused in the middle of a shot. "I guess my body is too great for you to handle, huh?" he teased.

"Yeah... you're right. Not enough muscle."

Kise pouted. "Don't make me punch Midorima-cchi."

"Don't drag me into your fights nanodayo," said Midorima, who hadn't made any inclination to warm up, but was busy wiping his glasses.

Murasakibara was feeling too lazy to warm up too. "Why Mido-chin?" he asked puzzledly.

"Cos he's in Aomine-cchi's body," said Kise.

"What I said nanodayo."

A whistle sounded; it was time for the tip-off.

"Tetsuya, we'll be putting you in during the second half," instructed Akashi.

Kuroko nodded. "OK. Good luck, everyone."

"We'll wipe the floor with them," promised Aomine.

"Don't forget," said Akashi, leading the team as they made their way over to the midcourt line, "we play as a team today."

 _Why?_ they wondered. But Akashi had made it clear that they were not to ask questions, so they didn't. There had to be a reason though. Akashi never did things without having something to back them up.

The rest of the Kaisei team looked more decent than Captain. However, their hostility was unmistakable; they glared at the Miracles as they approached. The Teikou team could see that they badly wanted to win.


	15. Chapter 15

The following list can be interpreted as Original character - Body that character is inhabiting

Kuroko – Murasakibara

Kise – Midorima

Midorima – Aomine

Aomine – Kise

Murasakibara – Akashi

Akashi – Kuroko

...

 **Chapter Fifteen**

"We haven't had the pleasure of meeting, _Miracles,_ " said Captain, placing delicate emphasis on the word. The rest of his teammates sniggered. "Been watching your games. Think you're so good you can beats us ten times over, huh? Well, guess what… today, Akashi, we'll be the ones trashing _you_."

"The tenfold bet has nothing to do with proving our indomitability," said Akashi calmly. "You are simply tools to pave our way to victory."

Captain scowled at the unfamiliar blue-haired player. "Wasn't talking to you, shrimp."

Kise nudged Murasakibara. "Murasakibara-cchi, I think he was addressing you."

"Eh? Why me?"

"You're Akashi-cchi now, remember? Say something."

"Don't have to. I just have to crush them, is all."

Akashi didn't seem to be offended by the 'shrimp' comment. On the contrary, he smiled and said, "I'm afraid not. Today, our victory is absolute."

The referee ran up with the ball. Coach Sanada came hurrying to the bench.

Momoi, Nijimura and the first string benchwarmers greeted him with relief.

"I thought you weren't going to show, Coach," said Nijimura, getting to his feet.

"The jam was unbelievable," panted the young Coach as he wiped the sweat off his brow. "I see I'm just in time to catch the opening act."

"Good afternoon, Coach," said Kuroko.

Coach Sanada jumped; he had only just caught sight of Kuroko. "Wait a minute – what are you doing here, Murasakibara?" he demanded in confusion. "You're supposed to be in the starting lineup."

Kuroko hesitated. The referee was already lifting the ball. Coach Sanada waved for him to stop.

"Kuroko, get back here," called the Coach, gesturing at Akashi. "We've worked this out before. You can't use your Misdirection for the entire game. Save it for the second half."

"I have a reason for playing now, Coach Sanada," said Akashi.

The Coach frowned. "A reason? Is this Akashi's idea?"

"Yes," nodded Akashi. "Seijurou, tell the coach it was your idea."

Murasakibara, forgetting that he was Akashi, thought, _What a pain. I'm just going to stand under the basket._

And he trudged away, oblivious to the others' stares.

The Coach pinched his forehead. "Alright, just get back here, Kuroko. Murasakibara, get on the floor please."

Akashi was already thinking of a fitting punishment for Murasakibara.

Midorima sighed inwardly. _This is not good. The Coach isn't listening to Akashi because he is in Kuroko's body, and Murasakibara couldn't care less nanodayo. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish it was Kise in Akashi's body now nanodayo._

"Kuroko, you're taking care of defence nanodayo," ordered Midorima, as Kuroko came trotting in. With a hopeless Captain like Murasakibara, it fell on him as the Vice Captain to lead the team. Kuroko had proven to be an infallible enemy in Murasakibara's body, and without his passes the rest of the team could concentrate on passing to each other instead.

"OK," said Kuroko, and he made his way to the opponent's hoop.

Murasakibara frowned when he saw Kuroko approaching.

"Let's see… who are you again?"

"It's me, Kuroko," said Kuroko. "Murasakibara-kun, please entrust the defence to me."

"Kuro-chin, you're such a meanie. Stealing my position all the time…"

"Murasakibara, you're getting the jump ball nanodayo," Midorima told him.

Murasakibara perked up at once.

"Midorima, you sure this is a good idea?" asked Aomine doubtfully. "He's in Akashi's body now."

"Precisely," said Midorima. "We cannot possibly lose today. Not when I have my lucky item nanodayo."

Aomine snorted. "You mean the bat you got Kise to nick from the baseball club?"

"I didn't nick it," protested Kise. "My homeroom teacher is in charge of the club. I remembered they were having practice today, so I went to borrow it."

Aomine scratched his head. "Well, good thing you weren't carrying it into the court, Midorima. People would have thought you'd entered the wrong game."

"I did carry it nanodayo. It's in the bag beside Momoi."

"Players – in positions!" ordered the referee.

The teams got ready for the tip-off. Captain was a half foot taller than the real Akashi. But when the ball flew, it was Murasakibara who got to it first.

"Go, Mukkun!" shouted Momoi, at the same time that Nijimura said, "Alright! Murasakibara has great jumping power!"

Coach Sanada and the benchwarmers threw them a bemused look.

Getting his hand on the ball, Murasakibara tapped it to Midorima almost instantaneously. The Vice Captain caught it and leapt.

The ball clattered off the hoop.

Midorima balled his hands in frustration. _Not again_! _Every time I enter a new body my shots will go amiss nanodayo._

Momoi groaned from the bench, but Kuroko said quietly, "Don't worry. Aomine-kun will get the rebound."

Sure enough, Aomine was charging across the court like a bullet.

So was Kise. The two collided, and the ball went to the opponent's possession.

"Idiot! Don't you know how to dodge?" scowled Aomine, rubbing the throbbing spot on his head.

"Sorry…" winced Kise. "I'm not used to this body yet."

"Well, neither am I!"

"Stop talking nanodayo!" shouted Midorima, as he ran past them to chase down Miwaru, the player who had stolen the ball. "We're in the middle of a game, idiots!"

"You don't need to tell us, you damn Megane!" shouted Aomine, and he blasted after Miwaru as well.

The way Miwaru wove around reminded Aomine of a snake. Normally, Aomine would have caught up with him no trouble, but Miwaru had gotten too much of a headstart. The Kaisei player reached the net and landed a basket with a hook shot.

The ball curved and was a long time going in. Kuroko wasn't prepared for this; having underestimated the timing, he had leapt too late, and the ball soared over his head.

Aomine was dumbfounded.

"Tetsu, are you trying to make me look bad?" he demanded. "What happened to those magnificent saves back in practice?"

"I'm sorry, Aomine-kun. I'm more accustomed to your shots," apologised Kuroko.

Momoi was upset.

"He almost had it," she said fretfully. "Poor Tetsu-kun."

Nijimura noticed the others looking at her strangely.

"Uh, Momoi," he reminded her, "Kuroko is right here."

"Huh?" Momoi blinked, as if just waking from a dream. "Oh! That's right!" She gave a silly little laugh that failed to cover her awkwardness.

Nijimura looked down at Akashi; the Captain was watching the game intently, his expression unreadable.

"On your marks nanodayo," ordered Midorima, as Mori, Kaisei's power forward, grinned and made a condescending hand sign.

"Midorima-cchi, will you stop saying 'nanodayo' when giving orders? It ruins the mood," said Kise.

Miwaru had the ball again, and Aomine was staying on him with deathly persistence. As Miwaru struggled to bypass the Ace's defence, the ball was suddenly stolen from him.

Aomine seemed to reach the hoop in a second. Koji, Kaisei's centre player, was ready for him. He leapt the same time as Aomine, who switched hands at the last second. Caught unawares, Koji's eyes widened as the ball sank into the hoop.

Momoi couldn't hold herself back.

"GO, AOMINE-KUN!" she yelled. "BEAT THEM TO A PULP!" The benchwarmers jerked and stared at her as if she'd gone crazy.

Coach Sanada seemed to have decided to overlook Momoi's eccentricity.

"Huh. I never knew Kise was so dexterous," he remarked, mystified.

"Nice one, Aomine-cchi!" grinned Kise, slapping Aomine on the back. "Keep making me look good!"

"Kise, stop acting like an idiot nanodayo!" snapped Midorima, face flushed with annoyance. He would never be able to face the rest of the team again if they saw the 'Kise in his body' behaving the way he was.

The next possession saw Kise making a shot from the three-point line. He laughed at Midorima's confounded expression.

"You're not the only one who can sink threes, Midorima-cchi," he said with a knowing grin. "Although mine don't consistently hit the mark."

"It's the effort that counts nanodayo," said Midorima, pushing up his glasses, but there was a faint smile on his face.

Kise smiled too. "You can do it, Midorima-cchi. No matter how many times you miss, me and Aomine-cchi will keep getting it back for you."

Appreciative but embarrassed, Midorima turned away with a small, "Hmph."

In the next several possessions, Kise kept the ball flying toward Midorima. However, the Vice Captain was always his shots.

"What is going on with Aomine? He's been doing nothing but shooting threes, and he's missed every single one of them!" exclaimed Coach Sanada. "And since when did he start wearing glasses?"

"Midorima-cchi!" Kise broke past Miwaru and lobbed the ball at the Vice Captain.

Midorima caught the pass and bounced. His eyes filled with focus. _Almost there,_ he thought. He was nearly getting the hang of it. _Just a bit more._ He flexed the fingers of his left hand and let out his breath slowly. Every nerve in his body tingled with concentration.

Midorima jumped, releasing the ball. It hung in the air for what seemed an eternity.

Finally, the ball passed through the net without a sound.

"GO, MIDORIN!" shouted Momoi. The benchwarmers clapped their hands over their ears. "Show them who's the top shooter of the Generation of Miracles!"

Kise waved to his manager jokingly. Midorima's smile was broader now as he pushed up his glasses.

After that, Midorima kept landing threes. Captain was visibly furious.

"Midorima-cchi is an automatic," Kise told him, as if explaining how the weather worked. "He sees the ball going in before it does."

"Shut up," hissed Captain, stomping back to his post. Kise laughed and slapped Midorima a high-five. Or would have, if Midorima hadn't declined with a weary look.

Apparently, Kaisei was determined not to have Midorima make it all day. They set three players on him. Midorima had no choice but to pass, but Kaisei seemed to have anticipated this, because Mori had intercepted the ball and was driving to the net without missing a beat.

Aomine didn't like the way Mori looked. The Kaisei player had short bristly hair like a bear, and breath that stank worse. But like Miwaru, he was also fast. Aomine was only three feet behind when Mori dropped a shot.

 _Bam_. Kuroko appeared like a ghost, knocking the ball away.

"Alright!" Aomine caught the rebound. "Nice, Tetsu!" He streaked off, breaking past Miwaru and Koji to land a lay-up.

"GO, TETSU-KUN! GO, DAI-CHAN!" yelled Momoi fanatically.

"I told you not to call me Dai-chan!" Aomine yelled back.

"Nice one, Kuroko-cchi!" exclaimed Kise, clapping Kuroko on the back enthusiastically. "Show 'em who's boss!"

"It was a good block," admitted Midorima. "We may not get along in the first place, Kuroko, but seeing you with Murasakibara's face makes it worse."

Kuroko nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry to hear that, Midorima-kun."

Kise laughed. "Kuroko-cchi, you make it sound like he's lost someone!"

"Ridiculous nanodayo," scoffed Midorima.

The first half ended with twelve points to Kaisei, and seventy-four points to Teikou.

 _It's a given that we're winning,_ thought Nijimura, staring at the scoreboard. _However, will Akashi-kun really forbid them from playing in the next championship if they fail to match them tenfold?_

Murasakibara had been pretty lax so far. When it was time for the second half to begin, Captain went up to him.

"What's wrong, Akashi? You're letting your teammates steal your thunder," he taunted the Miracle. "It's a real let down. I didn't take you for such a wuss."

Murasakibara blinked, peering up at the spiky-haired player.

"Eh? Are you talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?"

But now that the meaning of Captain's words sank in, Murasakibara's blood was beginning to feel hot.

"A wuss, you say?" he said dangerously. "You might want to take that back before I crush you into dust."

 _Whoa. Now he looks more like Akashi-cchi,_ thought Kise apprehensively.

With Kuroko gone, it was Murasakibara's turn to guard the hoop.

To everyone's surprise, Murasakibara could jump high enough to block most shots.

"Oh yeah, Akashi-cchi can dunk, huh?" said Kise in realisation. "I suppose his jumping abilities are pretty top-notch."

Then Miwaru broke through Murasakibara's defence with a fake.

Two points went to Kaisei. Now they were fourteen to eighty.

"You were saying?" said Aomine, with a sarcastic glance at Kise.

"Murasakibara, this is no time to slip up nanodayo," said Midorima sternly.

"Shintarou is right," said Akashi, looking at Murasakibara disapprovingly. "You cannot afford to falter now, Atsushi."

Murasakibara made an unhappy face. "I can't help it, Aka-chin. I'm jumping like how I usually do, but you're so short it takes up all my energy."

 _Now he's done it,_ thought Midorima in alarm. _You don't tell that to Akashi's face and get away with it nanodayo._

 _Although his face is currently Kuroko's._

"You are right," said Akashi, and Midorima blinked. "Shintarou, take his place. If you can, try to score as well."

 _Easier said than done._ Midorima took up his position underneath the basket and heaved a sigh. If he'd been in his real body, he might be able to pull it off. Maybe.

"Wuss," said a voice behind Murasakibara. He turned and saw Captain grinning mockingly at him. "You call yourself the Captain of the Generation of Miracles, when you can't even block such an easy shot?"

"Aka-chin," said Murasakibara, as he and Akashi jogged along, "pass me the ball next."

Akashi looked at him. "Alright."

"Ah… he's pissed," commented Aomine, as Murasakibara gunned across the court with the eyes of a wild animal. Captain was on him, and he now seemed to regret his choice. With a roar, Murasakibara slammed the ball into the hoop with his signature move.

This version of Thor's Hammer wasn't as powerful as the original, but it rocked the board all the same.

Murasakibara dropped down heavily and turned toward Captain. "How many wusses do you know can dunk, Captain?"

Captain looked confused. "You talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?"

"Go, Mukkun!" cheered Momoi once more. Coach Sanada and the benchwarmers threw her looks of weariness. But Nijimura smiled. The team might just be able to make it.

Akashi retook the ball. Kuroko's body suited him rather well; he found that moving in it was almost as easy as if it were his own body.

Miwaru was marking him. Akashi dribbled, and then made a sudden darting movement, causing his opponent to fall. He caught sight of miwaru's stunned expression and allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before making the shot.

The ball went in, claiming two points for Teikou.

Kuroko looked at the scoreboard. "Fourteen to ninety-six," he said quietly. "We have forty six points to go, if Kaisei doesn't score again."

"Hopefully," sighed Momoi. If only Akashi hadn't created such enormous pressure over a trivial practice match.

Assigning Midorima to guard the hoop been an efficient move – he managed to shut down the opponent's defence, aided by Akashi. Even Murasakibara was managing to put in a few baskets. The problem lay with Kise and Aomine.

"Damn it, Kise! Why didn't you catch it?" demanded Aomine, when Miwaru stole the ball again.

"I couldn't believe you were passing to me; it caught me off guard," protested Kise, as Akashi retook possession and dribbled toward the basket, his opponents falling like bowling pins.

Aomine ran a hand down his face. "You know Akashi said we have to work together."

Kise sighed and scratched the back of his head. "It'd be easier if we were working against each other."

Aomine had to agree. "No kidding. I could gun past you with one arm behind my back."

"Oh yeah?" scowled Kise. "Well, I could do it with both behind my back!"

"And how do you plan to dribble, idiot?"

Kise stuck out his tongue. "You may be a prodigy when it comes to basketball, but you've got a pathetic personality, Aomine-cchi!"

"HUH? You bastard Kise! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Ryouta. Daiki," said Akashi. Somehow, Kuroko's usually deadpan eyes seemed to fill with a cold menace when Akashi was behind them. "Do you want to miss the next championship game?"

That put a stop to the fight.

Miwaru was pulling out his hook shots again. It was a smart but annoying move, because they were proving difficult to defend, even with Kise marking him and Midorima under the board. They barely managed to stop the ball from going in.

Finally, it was Kise's turn to take the court. He dribbled expertly, but Miwaru was impossible to shake off.

"I'll be taking that back!" Copying Miwaru's hook shot, Kise leapt toward the net and scored, grabbing two more points for Teikou.

"Way to go, Ki-chan!" cheered Momoi. There were only two minutes left, and twenty three points to go.

As if driven by the time constraint, Aomine and Akashi went on a roll, racking up points like there was no tomorrow. Midorima and Murasakibara worked on shutting down Kaisei's defence, and Kise assisted in both ends.

Finally, the buzzer sounded. The final score was sixteen to one hundred and sixty two.

The cheers from the bench were deafening. Momoi embraced Kuroko happily, and then ran up to the other Miracles and hugged them in turn.

"Good work." Even Akashi was smiling as he addressed the team. Kise had flung his arms around Midorima and Aomine, cheering for all he was worth, much to their annoyance.

"I'm so glad we made it," beamed Momoi, wiping away tears. "Stupid Akashi-kun! This is all your fault. Why did you have to create so much stress?"

But Midorima, Aomine and Murasakibara were far from looking happy.

"So what if we won the bet?" grumbled Aomine. "We got a bigger problem to deal with."

"Oh, cheer up guys!" said Kise, nudging Aomine in an attempt to liven him up. "This isn't basketball, you know. It's definitely something we can work on together."

"Not today," said Akashi, causing heads to turn toward him in surprise. "Today, we rest."

"So we're sleeping in the bunk again?" sighed Murasakibara. "Can't we catch a break?"

Midorima returned the bat to Kise.

"Thank you for lending me this, Kise. You may return it to your teacher now nanodayo."

"But I thought you were supposed to keep your lucky item with you all day," said Kise in surprise.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. "I don't want to inconvenience you any further nanodayo. Take it!"

He thrust the bat into Kise's arms. It danced around until Kise got a proper grip.

"Ever the tsundere," grinned Aomine. Kise and Momoi laughed as Midorima reddened, turning his back on them with a loud 'Hmph!'

…..

The clubroom was almost empty; the baseball members were already clearing out. Kise looked around, but his homeroom teacher was nowhere to be seen.

One of the guys looked up from his packing.

"Midorima-kun," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Kise stared at him blankly. "Um, you are…?"

"Huh?" The guy looked offended. "I'm Watanabe, of course. Don't tell me you've forgotten who your own classmates are."

Kise stammered out a laugh. "Of course not. It's nice to see you, Watanabe-san."

"Anyway, why are you holding a bat?" questioned Watanabe curiously. "Are you thinking of joining the baseball club?"

"That's right. I'm tired of basketball nanodayo," said Kise grimly. Then a huge grin spread across his face. "Kidding! I came to return it, but it seems Yamada-sensei's already left. Keep it for me, won't you? Thanks a bunch, Watanabe!"

Handing the bat to the puzzled boy, Kise turned and skipped out of the club room.

…..

That night, it was as if the game had never happened.

The Miracles were back in their futons. Midorima and Aomine seemed to have permanent frowns fixed on their faces. Murasakibara looked more bored than ever. Even Kise wasn't smiling like usual.

None of them was looking forward to morning.

"Nijimura-san suggested we sleep with our own _omamori_ again," said Kuroko, staring up at the dark ceiling pensively.

"Fat use that is," snorted Aomine. "I told you the first time back – we're never going back to the way we were. This is our life now."

"I wonder how long we can continue with our sleep overs nanodayo," said Midorima.

"If push comes to shove, we'll just have to sleep at home, I guess," said Kise.

"I miss my bed," mourned Murasakibara.

"Like I said, we will worry about this tomorrow," said Akashi. "Sleep, everyone."

They closed their eyes, drifting into an uneasy slumber.

…..

Morning arrived. Momoi was up before dawn, reliving yesterday's match with a small smile.

After a quick wash, the manager decided to pay the Miracles a wake-up call.

She was about to push open the door when someone from the other side beat her to it.

"Oh, Mukkun," she said in surprise, upon catching sight of not-Akashi. "You're up early today."

He looked at her for a while, and then smiled. "I'm an early-riser."

Momoi blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

He simply kept smiling at her.

Momoi frowned, but decided to dismiss it. "Anyway," she said brightly, "are the others awake?"

"Yes."

"Hooray!"

Momoi barged into the room. The other Miracles stirred; clearly, they had just woken.

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi slammed into the Miracle happily. "Your sleepy face is just too cute!"

Kuroko opened his eyes in confusion. "Momoi-san?"

"Eh?" Momoi turned to look at not-Kuroko. "You called me, Akashi-kun?"

"Sacchin, you're heavy," groaned the not-Murasakibara in her arms.

Momoi froze. "Eh? Sacchin…?"

She pulled away from him, eyes bugging out.

"EEEEEEHHHH?!"

"Damn it, Satsuki! Quit being so loud in the morning," groaned Aomine.

"Well," said the one who was supposed to be not-Akashi. He was standing in the doorway with a satisfied smile. "It seems I was right after all."

"Right about what?" demanded Midorima, opening his eyes. He blinked furiously. "Hm? Why is my vision so blurry?"

"Y… You…. " Momoi barely choked out the words. "You're all back to normal!"

The Miracles stared at her. And then they looked at each other.

Chaos broke out in the bunk.

Kise was hopping all around as though his feet were on fire. Aomine and Murasakibara were fighting over possession of the hand mirror. Kuroko felt his face in astonishment.

"I'm back…?"

"I'm back!" Having caught sight of his reflection, Aomine pumped his fists in the air. "This is the best day of my life!"

"Kuroko-cchi!" Kise laughed and embraced Kuroko. "We've gone back! We're ourselves again!"

Midorima gazed at his bandaged fingers with immense gratification. "I'm back nanodayo."

Even Murasakibara didn't look as sleepy as usual. "Curry rice, okonomiyaki, beef stew…!" he sang, eyes sparklingwith happiness.

Momoi embraced Kuroko tearfully. "Tetsu-kuuuunnnn!"

"Momoi-san, Kise-kun, you're suffocating me… "

Once everyone had calmed down, Akashi got their attention.

"As you all know, Nijimura and I were discussing about a solution to the switch crisis the past few nights," he said. "And I arrived at a conclusion. In the first place, the switch did not happen because we slept with each other's _omamori._ It happened because of Momoi's wish."

"You mean, the wish I made for you to be a team?" asked Momoi in surprise.

"Yes. If that was the case, then the solution would be simple. To fulfil the wish, and then sleep with the _omamori_ in its original arrangement that same night."

"But if that's the case, why did you force them to incorporate teamwork into their playesterday?" demanded Momoi indignantly. "You could have had it done another day!"

"Haste was necessary. Besides, they would not have taken it seriously if I told them. And even if I didn't, the only time they would be serious was when they were in a desperate situation."

"Hey, don't talk like we're not here," pouted Kise. "What do you mean, 'a desperate situation'?"

"Akashi-kun, do you mean to say, you made the tenfold bet just to up the stakes?" asked Kuroko.

Akashi smiled. For a moment, he looked like the old Akashi.

"MO! I can't believe it!" Momoi folded her arms crossly. "You could have told me at least!"

"What's past is past nanodayo," said Midorima nonchalantly. "It's best to move on from our mistakes."

"Yeah! Now that this nightmare has blown over, let's burn these suckers to the ground!" said Aomine, whipping out his _omamori_ and leering at it.

"No, we won't." Momoi gathered up the _omamori_ before Aomine could light the match. "I'll be keeping them. They might be useful for some favours." She stood up, grinning slightly.

Aomine looked alarmed. "What?" he demanded. "What do you mean? Oi, Satsuki!"

"Not telling!" Momoi ran out of the room, skirt flying out behind her.

"Leave her be nanodayo," said Midorima, as Aomine stared at the doorway through which Momoi had disappeared. "At least we will never see those cursed items again."

The Miracles seemed happy to put the incident behind them. But Kuroko was glad it happened. He'd got to play basketball with his team again, just as it had been in the old days.

Momoi's head peeked into the room all of a sudden.

"That's right!" she said thoughtfully. "You said this all started because of a pillow fight, didn't you?"

"Yeah… " said Kise, blinking in surprise.

Momoi dropped to the floor, gazing at them eagerly.

"Details!" she insisted. "You owe me that at least."

"We owe you nothing," scowled Aomine. "Weren't you about to leave, Satsuki?"

"Come on! I need to hear what happened."

"Kuro-chin will explain," said Murasakibara, munching on an _umaibo_.

Momoi looked at Kuroko expectantly. The Phantom Miracle sighed.

"Very well," he gave in. "You see, it started when we were getting ready for bed… "


	16. Chapter 16

**Note: For readers who are unaware, this is the second of two chapters I've published today.**

 **...**

 **Training Camp – First Night**

Kise fell onto his futon in sheer exhaustion.

"Whew! Practice was a killer," he breathed into the quilt. "Aomine-cchi was really relentless today."

"You're the one who needs to pick up the slack," said Aomine, dropping down beside Kuroko, who had his nose in a book. "What's that you're reading, Tetsu?"

"Just a novella," said Kuroko, not taking his eyes off the page.

Just then, Momoi came in with a stack of pillows.

"Room service!" she announced jokingly. She went down the row, handing them out with a big smile.

"Hooray," said Murasakibara happily. "Sacchin, you're the best."

"Murasakibara, you're getting crumbs all over yours nanodayo," pointed out Midorima.

"Thank you, Momoi," said Akashi, taking the profferred pillow.

"Don't mention it, Akashi-kun," said Momoi warmly. "Still, I'm surprised you forgot to bring one. You're usually so self-reliant."

"What are you talking about, Satsuki?" said Aomine. "Normal people don't bring pillows to a camp out."

Momoi made a face. "Well, sorry for not being normal."

"Thank you, Momoi-san," said Kuroko, putting down the book and accepting his pillow gratefully.

"No worries! Glad I could help," she beamed. "Right! Does everyone have one? OK! Have a good rest, guys!"

And she left them in darkness.

Murasakibara's snores soon filled the room. Kuroko found it hard to sleep. His mind was on the novella, and his muscles ached like crazy.

After what seemed like half an hour, he heard someone leave for the bathroom.

"Tetsu," said a voice suddenly, making Kuroko jump. "You awake?"

"Aomine-kun," said Kuroko, trying to get his breathing back to normal. "Aomine-kun, you should try to sleep."

"I'm too bored to go to sleep," said the Ace gruffly. "Hey, Tetsu – entertain me, won't you?"

Kuroko sighed. "If I do, will you go to sleep?"

"With luck."

"Very well. I shall do my best."

Silence encroached for a while.

Then came footsteps, and the door slid open. The bathroom-goer had returned.

There was a muffled 'thump', and then a cry of surprise pierced the air.

The lights flickered on. Kise was standing in the doorway, a pillow in his hand, visibly flustered. He glared furiously at the group.

"Who hurled this pillow at me?"

The noise woke Midorima and Murasakibara. The latter yawned. Aomine was sniggering into his pillow. Kuroko was straight-faced as he said, "I'm sorry, Kise-kun. Aomine-kun said he couldn't sleep unless I entertained him."

"Aomine-cchi?" Kise scowled at the Ace. Promptly, he tossed the pillow at Aomine. It whomped him square in the face.

"Now we're even." Kise slipped back under his covers.

Aomine sat up furiously. "Damn it, Kise! You got a death wish or something?

He flung the pillow back at Kise, but it overshot and hit Midorima instead.

"Idiot!" Midorima, who had rolled over to go back to sleep, sent the pillow flying back at Aomine.

"You damn Megane! Do you know who you're dealing with?" Aomine launched both his and Kuroko's pillows at Midorima. The Vice Captain dodged, and the pillows landed on Murasakibara instead.

"Two misses nanodayo," said Midorima, sitting up coolly. "And you call yourself the Ace of the Generation of Miracles?"

"You little – !"

"Aomine-kun," interrupted Kuroko, "Murasakibara-kun is hogging our pillows."

"Huh?" Aomine saw Murasakibara hugging the pillows against his chest, snoozing away.

Aomine got up and tried to tug out the pillows. Murasakibara tightened his grip. Fed up, Aomine ripped out Murasakibara's own pillow. Murasakibara simply stuffed one of the pillows back under his head. Aomine ripped out that one as well. Swiftly, he launched them at Midorima. They caught him in the back of his head.

"Um… " began Kuroko, but Midorima was now propelling pillows at Aomine, who ripped out the last pillow from under Murasakibara's head and threw all three at Midorima.

"I'LL DECIMATE YOU NANODAYO!"

Kise bolted upright. His eyes shone when he saw the scene.

"Alright! A pillow fight!"

The three Miracles sent pillows flying back and forth. Kuroko watched helplessly, while Murasakibara dozed on without a care in the world.

Then –

"Ryouta. Shintarou. Daiki."

The trio froze. Akashi was finally up. There was a frightening gleam in his heterochromatic eyes.

The Miracles recoiled, expecting an outburst. But Akashi merely smiled. Slowly, the Teikou Captain got to his feet and gathered up the fallen pillows, including his own.

"You guys sure are having fun, huh?" he said in a voice that sent chills down their spines. "Allow me to join in."

Over in the next room, Momoi's eyes fluttered open.

 _Hm? I thought I heard an awful lot of noise coming from next door,_ she thought drowsily. A huge yawn stole over her. _I must have been dreaming._

And she went back to sleep.

…..

The lights were out, and the Generation of Miracles were back in their futons.

Having dealt with the three pillow-pitchers, Akashi was now fast asleep.

"Are you OK?" asked Kuroko softly, as soon as things were calm again.

Kise made a funny noise between a sneeze and a cough. Aomine's head was buried under the covers. Midorima was completely silent.

"Tetsu," mumbled Aomine, after a spell, "let's go to sleep. When morning comes, this will never have happened."

Kuroko nodded, although he knew no one could see him in the dark.

"If you say so. Good night, Aomine-kun."

"…'Night."

...

Hey everyone, thank you for so much for coming this far. I'll be taking a break from this fanfic. See ya ^_^


	17. Chapter 17

_Welp!_ I'm back, guys! I am so sorry for the long hiatus… My life underwent a major overhaul and so much has happened within the year itself. In fact, there was one point where I thought I had to give up on writing fanfics, so I'm really glad that hurdle's been cleared. And now that I've settled down, I can finally resume my writing!

I've also decided to revise the story a little. Nothing heavy, just a few tweaks here and there. Plus, owing to scheduling conflicts, I can't guarantee that my updates will be as regular as before, but I will try my best to work around it. Thank you so much for your patience!

...

 **Miracle Switch (High School Arc)**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

On a warm summer's day, Kuroko received an invitation to a live video chat.

The chat room was already occupied; six people with a myriad of hair colours stared back at him. The one with pink hair beamed and waved excitedly at him through the screen.

"Tetsu-kun! I was beginning to think you didn't receive the invite!"

"Oi, Satsuki! What's the meaning of this?" Aomine's scowl was unmistakeable, as was his navy blue hair. "I was in the middle of my afternoon nap."

"And I was in the middle of tea break," complained Murasakibara. As usual, his eyes were perpetually hooded, and his long lavender hair was unkempt as ever. There was also a _maiubo_ sticking out of his mouth.

"I thought I texted you guys yesterday saying I would have a video conference at this time today," frowned Momoi. "You should check your inbox more often."

Akashi, the Miracles' former Captain, looked the same as he always did, except that his eyes were back to their normal twin red.

"Kuroko-cchi, your face looks so small! It's cute," laughed Kise. The blond Kaijo player was as spirited as ever. Kuroko noticed that he had cut his hair short. "Midorima-cchi, what happened to you?"

For some reason, Midorima's bespectacled face was upside down.

Looking slightly red, Midorima fumbled with his tablet. His screen turned patchy. After a few bursts of static, his face reappeared rightside up.

Kise and Aomine snorted uncontrollably.

"Midorima-cchi, could this be your first video chat?"

"It isn't nanodayo!" snapped Midorima.

Once the laughter had died down, Akashi spoke up.

"So what is this about, Momoi? It certainly came as a shock when we received those _omamori_ from you."

All of the Miracles had acquired a mail package from the former Teikou manager. Kuroko's contained two familiar amulets.

"Well, you're aware that the Interhigh is in five days, right?" said Momoi excitedly. "I wanted to show you guys my support!"

"You're insane," said Aomine in disbelief.

"Why didn't you destroy them nanodayo?" demanded Midorima.

"I told you I would safeguard them," pouted Momoi. "I wiped out the names already; they're just blank slates now. Perfectly safe."

"'Perfectly safe?'" repeated Aomine incredulously. "Those – _hoodoos_ – nearly cost us our basketball careers!"

"Not to mention a host of painful and humiliating memories," added Kise, who had stopped smiling.

"It wasn't so bad though," said Kuroko, reflecting on the last game where they had played as a team.

"Right?" said Momoi triumphantly. "Besides, the _omamori_ brought you good luck in the end, didn't they?"

"You must have been dreaming about the 'good luck' part," muttered Aomine.

Murasakibara made a face. "I never want to go on a diet again."

Akashi was examining his _omamori_ thoughtfully.

"So... the reason why you brought this out is..." he said uneasily.

Momoi beamed. "Well, I figured since the _omamori_ brought you good luck the last time, maybe this time they'll work too!"

Aomine squeezed his forehead. Kise dropped his head.

"Since the incident, I've been dreading the day when Oha-Asa would dictate my lucky item to be an _omamori_ nanodayo," said Midorima, pushing up his glasses darkly. "I never thought the day would come so quickly."

"Don't be like that! Like I said, I've wiped out the names so there's no way there'll be a repeat of last time," assured Momoi. "See? I even took the liberty of putting them on strings."

Kuroko glanced down. Sure enough, a pink string had been threaded through a small hole at the top of each _omamori._ Although he didn't see how it had any relation to the issue.

"Come on – I wanna see you guys make it to the finals," implored Momoi. "Who knows? Maybe if you wear them, you could gain the abilities you've always wanted."

Aomine snorted skeptically. _Yeah, right. As if wearing this will miraculously grant me God-like basketball powers. Besides, there's no point to it if I don't beat Tetsu and that idiot with my own strength._

But Kuroko frowned down at his _omamori_ , thinking deeply.

 _Will I really be able to play like Kise-kun if I wear this? I mean, if body-swapping is possible..._

Kise was extremely doubtful. _This is nothing but mystic mumbo jumbo. I really want to beat Aomine-cchi, but I'm not desperate enough to resort to this… am I?_

Midorima was on the fence about this.

 _Will this enable me to defeat Akashi? I've only ever used lucky items prescribed by Oha-Asa. I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to such charms..._

Murasakibara had his face screwed up, as if looking at his _omamori_ was bringing him pain.

 _If we wear this and end up switching again, Aka-chin will make me go on another diet. No way am I going to let that happen._

Akashi peered silently at his own _omamori._

 _Abilities, huh…_

"It would be easier if it wasn't pink nanodayo," scowled Midorima at length. "I refuse to be seen wearing something pink in front of my teammates."

"So you've decided to wear it?" cried Momoi. She looked so ecstatic that the other Miracles felt guilty about voicing out their real opinions.

"All right, all right," sighed Kise. "I suppose it's not possible to swap bodies with blank _omamori_ anyway."

When Midorima continued to look uncertain, Kise added, "Don't worry about it, Midorima-cchi. Pink looks cute on you."

Midorima's scowl deepened threefold. "What are you, Takao?"

" _Tch._ Fine, I'll wear," said Aomine grudgingly. "But if we lose the next game, this is going into the incinerator, you hear me?"

"What a pain," sighed Murasakibara. But he looped the _omamori_ around his neck anyway and resumed munching on his _maiubo_.

"Hooray!" Momoi clapped her hands together, the picture of pure happiness. "By the way, Tetsu-kun, the second one's for Kagami-san," she said, pointing at the _omamori_ in Kuroko's hands and beaming.

Kuroko was surprised. He didn't expect Momoi to buy one for Kagami as well.

"Thank you, Momoi-san," he said, trying to sound like he meant it. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"Oi. You even bought one for that idiot?" said Aomine grumpily.

"Of course. He and Tetsu-kun are Seirin's rookie duo. It wouldn't be fair to leave one of them out."

Kuroko blinked. _Seirin's rookie duo?_

"Thank you for the _omamori_ , Momoi," smiled Akashi.

Aomine ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Akashi, it's times like these I wish you hadn't changed back."

"Yeah. The other you would have coldly rejected her offer," chimed in Kise.

"Can we not talk about this?"

"So the next time I see you guys will be at the prelims," said Momoi brightly. "Good luck to you, Tetsu-kun, Dai-chan and Midorin! Only one of you will be making it to the finals, so all the best to you!"

"I thought I told you not to call me Dai-chan!"

"Why didn't you wish me luck, Momo-cchi?" pouted Kise.

"Can we go now?" asked Murasakibara boredly.

"Good luck, everyone," said Akashi. "See you at the finals."

"Good luck," returned Kuroko.

 **\- SEIRIN –**

"Here you go, Kagami-kun."

Kuroko deposited the _omamori_ onto Kagami's palm. The latter stared at it in puzzlement.

"What's this?"

"A present from Momoi-san," explained Kuroko. "Apparently, she believes it will bring us luck for the upcoming games."

Kagami's already furrowed eyebrows drew even closer.

"You don't have to wear it until tomorrow," said Kuroko, correctly interpreting his silence. "Momoi-san won't be back from her trip until then."

"OK," said Kagami with relief. Pink was obviously not his thing. "I'll give her my thanks the next time we meet."

Kuroko stared out the open gym doors, his thoughts flying to the upcoming Interhigh preliminaries. Last time, his team, Seirin, had been devastated by Aomine's team, Touou, before they could advance to the finals. Although they'd managed to make a comeback during the Winter Cup, Seirin had won by a narrow margin.

Touou was still a dangerous opponent.

 _I'll give my all in tomorrow's practice as well,_ Kuroko promised himself.

 **\- RAKUZAN -**

"Sei-chan, what are you doing?

Akashi returned his phone to his bag and glanced up. Mibuchi Reo, his Vice-Captain as well as one of the Uncrowned Kings, was eyeing him curiously. Behind them, the rest of the Rakuzans were shooting hoops.

"Just catching up with some friends," said Akashi, straightening up. Mibuchi caught sight of the _omamori_ dangling from his collarbone.

"Is that a good luck charm?"

"A present," said Akashi, dodging the question. If he had to admit it, he and the other Miracles were only wearing it to pacify Momoi. After all, they owed a great deal to her. "Let's get back to practice, shall we?"

 **\- TOUOU –**

Aomine was jerked awake by a furious yell.

"Oi, Aomine! You've got nerve ditching practice with the Interhigh just around the corner!"

"I'm sorry, I should have stopped him! I'm sorry!"

"How annoying," groaned Aomine, keeping his eyes shut. "You buffoons came all the way up here to pick me up?"

Wakamatsu Kousuke, Touou's spikey-haired Captain, was not in a happy mood as he stood atop the school rooftop, glowering at the team's Ace.

" _Buffoons?"_ he fumed. "Are you calling your Captain a buffoon?"

"I'm sorry! I should have stopped him! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" cried Sakurai Ryou, bowing so fast he appeared to have multiple heads. How this apologetic mushroom came to be the team's shooting guard, Aomine had no clue.

"Alright – I'm up," sighed Aomine. He scratched his head idly and gazed up at his teammates. "Sorry. I was thinking about some stuff."

Wakamatsu's anger vanished like vapour. His eyes widened.

 _Did Aomine just…?_

A shiny, dark blue object caught his attention.

"Aomine, what are you wearing around your neck?" asked Wakamatsu, frowning.

"Huh? Oh. It's just an _omamori_. Satsuki mailed it to me."

"Momoi-san did?" questioned Sakurai, perplexed. "Why didn't she wait until she returned from her vacation tomorrow?"

"The hell if I know. I never could read that damn woman's mind."

"Well, that 'damn woman's' gift is around your neck right now," pointed out Wakamatsu.

Aomine flushed. "It's a gift, alright? Quit butting into other people's business!"

 _Wow. He really has changed since that game at the Winter Cup,_ thought Wakamatsu and Sakurai.

 **\- SHUTOKU –**

 _Swish._

 _Swish._

 _Swish._

Takao counted twenty-six baskets before he couldn't stop himself from blurting out.

"Shin-chan, you're really on a roll today, huh?"

"What are you talking about?" said Midorima, sinking in yet another basket. "Thirty is nowhere near the norm nanodayo."

Takao's grin was cut short.

"Shin-chan… isn't your lucky item today a piggybank?"

Midorima didn't break his stride as he replied, "What about it?"

"So what's that amulet you're wearing?"

Takao pointed at the _omamori,_ which bumped Midorima's chest with every shot.

Midorima fumbled in mid-motion. Looking awkward, he pushed up his glasses and said in a very different tone, "It's… something Momoi asked us to wear nanodayo."

"Momoi?" Takao tilted his head at the slightly familiar name. "Oh, you mean that pink-haired girl who was your manager in middle school?"

Midorima didn't reply. He merely stood there, the ball tucked under his arm, waiting for the bomb to drop.

Sure enough, Takao burst into uproarious laughter.

"It totally suits you, Shin-chan!"

Midorima heaved a long and weary sigh. Then he shifted the ball back into his hands and resumed his three-pointers.

Takao wiped the tears from his eyes. "So she bought one for all the Miracles, huh?" he grinned. "Interesting. But Shin-chan, it's not like you to wear such a thing."

"I'm not doing it to make her happy or anything," spluttered Midorima, turning way redder than was necessary. It made Takao go into another fit.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Shin-chan, you really know how to express your feelings!"

 _"Be quiet nanodayo, Takao!"_

 **\- KAIJO –**

It was a surprise for the Kaijo basketball team when Moriyama Yoshitaka, the former third year shooting guard, dropped by without prior notice.

"Since our exams just ended, don't be surprised to see the other senpais popping in over the next few days," he informed them.

"Moriyama-senpai, it's great to see you again!" said Kise in delight.

"Have you found a girlfriend yet, senpai?" asked Namakura, Kise's bespectacled third year teammate.

Moriyama shook his head solemnly. "Nope. I'm always on the lookout for cute ones though. How have you guys been?"

"It's been great! We've improved a lot since last year," said Kise enthusiastically. "Although it feels kind of lonely without Kasamatsu-senpai around."

"Really? I'm gonna text him what you just said."

"Eh? No, wait! Stop!"

"You miss having him around? Even though he always beats you up?" questioned Hayakawa.

"Huh? You make him sound like a thug…" commented Nakamura.

"I'm gonna text him what you just said."

"Please stop saying that."

"By the way, Moriyama-senpai, I've been working on extending the duration for Perfect Copy," said Kise excitedly. "If you and the other senpais come watch, you'll be able to see it in the game."

"Is that so?" said Moriyama with interest. "Well, it's something to look forward to."

"You bet! Our eyes are on the championship!"

Before the senpai left, he gave Kise a parting remark.

"Nice haircut by the way."

Kise smiled and fingered the _omamori_ resting below his collarbone.

 _Kuroko-cchi, Kagami-cchi, Aomine-cchi… this time, we will definitely defeat you!_

 **\- YOSEN –**

Summer and winter in Akita were utterly brutal. While the winters were frigid, the summers were hot enough to melt the skin off your bones.

"Atsushi, this has to be your seventh Popsicle," remarked Himuro Tatsuya, Kagami's childhood friend and Yosen's third year shooting guard, as he watched Murasakibara inserting the ice-cold treat into his mouth.

"You know, Muro-chin," brooded the sullen Miracle, "I must have eaten a thousand more of these than Kuro-chin, but I've never gotten the winning stick. Don't you think it's rather unfair?"

"More importantly, you're going to get brain-freeze if you keep this up, Atsushi."

Murasakibara fiddled with his _omamori._ Himuro noticed his glumness.

"If you hate it so much, why don't you take it off?"

"I can't. Sa-chin wants us to wear it until the Interhigh is over." Murasakibara gave a long sigh. "Can't be helped, though it really is a pain."

 **\- KAIJO –**

The next day, Nakamura and the rest of the Kaijo team arrived for practice as usual.

What was not usual was that Kise had yet to show up.

"It's rare for Kise to be late, huh?" remarked one of the first years.

"The preliminaries are in four days," said Nakamura. "I guess it's not too early to succumb to the pressure."

As they began their warm ups, there was a voice from behind them.

"Um... "

Everybody jumped. Kise was standing there. He looked unsure of himself, and his normally carefully-styled hair was a scruffy mess.

"Hello..." said the Miracle with solemn politeness. "Is this where the Kaijo basketball team hold their training?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

From the moment Kuroko woke up, everything felt wrong.

For starters, his alarm tone was different. It was louder. Mellower.

And when he opened his eyes, he found that the ceiling had changed.

Kuroko sat right up. The room was slightly bigger. Nothing was recognisable, not the bedside table or the corner bookshelf holding an array of fashion magazines.

But the situation was ringing some bells.

 _Mirror…_ he thought.

But there was no need, because someone's face was staring back at him from one of the magazine covers.

Placing his feet on the carpeted floor, Kuroko slipped out the copy and gazed at the cover page.

More specifically, he gazed at Kise's face.

 _He certainly looks eye-catching,_ thought Kuroko with fascination. Then he blinked. _Wait, that's not the problem here._

Kuroko sighed, causing the magazine pages to flutter slightly. It seemed that the _omamori_ curse had once again been activated.

For now, Kuroko decided to play along by pretending he was the real Kise and get in touch with the others.

But what was he supposed to do? This being summer vacation, the only reason Kise would wake up this early was for two things – a photo shoot, or for basketball practice.

The preliminaries were in three days. No need for guesses.

After changing into something appropriate, Kuroko grabbed Kise's bag and hurried out the door.

He must have been making a racket, because a pretty young woman appeared when he was struggling into his shoes.

"Morning Ryo-chan. Are you in some kind of hurry? Your hair's a little wild."

"Sorry, Big Sister... Kise! I have to go now!"

 _"Big Sister Kise?"_

But Kuroko was already out of the front door.

 **– Kaijo –**

It took Kuroko a while to locate Kise's school. Thankfully, he could recall the way to the gym from the last time Seirin had held a practice match with them.

Kuroko entered the gym a little out of breath. The guys were already in the middle of warm ups. As usual, no one noticed him.

"Um…" said Kuroko slightly nervously, to make his presence known. He saw the guys jump and turn, and he continued in more formal tones, "Hello… is this where the Kaijo basketball team holds their training?"

"Huh?" The first years stared at Kuroko as if seeing a ghost. "What are you talking about?"

Nakamura shook his head exasperatedly. "He's cracked. It's too much – he's lost it."

"I haven't lost it," protested Kuroko.

 _"What's the matter, Kise?"_

A guy suddenly barged into Kuroko's vision, startling him out of his wits. The guy pumped his head, eyes so large he looked maniacal.

 _"Are you not feeling well?"_

Kuroko recognised him from their previous game.

"Hayakawa-san." The name slipped out on its own. "I'm feeling all right."

"You don't seem so chipper," remarked Nakamura suspiciously. Kuroko knew him – his team had played against him as well. "Your hair's a mess. What's more, you're late. If you're not up to it we won't hold it against you."

Kuroko was crushed – now he was making Kise look feeble.

"I'm fine," he insisted awkwardly. "I just need to make a phone call."

 _"Did you get a new girllfriend, Kise?"_

Nakamura's eyes widened in realisation. "Ha! That's explains it all. Way to go, Mr Knockout!"

He clapped Kuroko heartily on the shoulder. Kuroko winced, wishing he could just leave.

"I don't have a girlfriend," he said uncomfortably, and scurried for cover toward an empty corner. As he retrieved Kise's cellphone from his bag, he could hear his 'teammates' chuckling good-naturedly.

The screen lit up. Kuroko paused, realising something important.

The phone was locked.

Reluctantly, Kuroko traipsed back to the Kaijos.

"Um," he said self-consciously. "Could I borrow one of your phones? Mine is dead."

"Even your phone got overexcited, huh?" Nakamura half-embraced him chummily. "No worries! There isn't a thing we won't do for our Ace!"

Wishing very much that he was back in Tokyo, Kuroko thanked Nakamura and dialled Momoi's number.

He had to do it twice; the first time, he got a message saying she was engaged. When she finally picked up –

"Ki-chan?"

 _She sounds anxious,_ Kuroko noticed. Out loud, he said, "Momoi-san, I think we're in trouble – "

"Tetsu-kun? It's Tetsu-kun, right? I've already called Dai-chan and some of the others! Mukkun – or whoever it is inside of him – must still be sleeping; I can't get ahold of him at all! This is terrible! It's the Generation of Disasters all over again! If only I hadn't been stupid enough to give you guys the _omamori_ …"

"I think it's partly our fault for wearing them, Momoi-san," said Kuroko dully. Now that he looked back on it, it had been remarkably foolish of them.

"I'm sorry, Tetsu-kun… I didn't mean for things to turn out like this. But don't you worry! I'm going to try to make things right. In the meantime, Akashi-kun said to gather everyone in Touou High. Use the Interhigh or something as an excuse."

Kuroko sighed. "OK. I'll stay in touch, Momoi-san. See you soon… hopefully."

Kuroko hung up, turned and sprang three feet in the air. Nakamura, Hayakawa and most of the first years were huddled close, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Was that the mysterious girlfriend?" they asked curiously.

"It was my middle school manager," said Kuroko wearily. He knew Kise would throw a fit if he didn't try to clear up this misunderstanding. "By the way, I have something to say… "

 **– Seirin –**

The players wove around the court, sinking balls almost rhythmically.

One particular second year threw a dunk that practically smashed the backboard.

"Oi, Kagami! If it breaks you're going to be the one paying!" threatened Hyuuga, Seirin's tough-as-nails clutch-shooting Captain.

"I guess he went overboard," quipped Izuki, as chock-full of puns as ever.

"Izuki, that wasn't necessary," Koganei told him painfully.

Practice didn't feel the same without Teppei around. But with Hyuuga leading the team, everyone was confident in their prospects for the Interhigh.

"Sorry, senpai. I've just got a lot of energy today," said Kagami, picking up another ball and loping toward the basket. "Kuroko hasn't shown up yet?" he asked, before jamming it in less aggressively.

"No. It's weird that he's running late."

"Maybe he's somewhere in the gym," said Furihata, who was practising dribbling techniques with a group of first years.

Izuki scanned the place meticulously. "But my Eagle Eye isn't picking up anything."

"Huh? Is that how it works?" asked Furihata in surprise.

Izuki cupped his hands around his mouth." Kuroko! Show yourself!"

Koganei, Tsuchida and the second years began to fan out, calling to their invisible teammate.

"Kuroko!"

"Hey, Kuroko!"

"Kurokooo!"

"You do realise how ridiculous you look, right?" scowled a small figure, walking in with a bag slung over his shoulder.

The Seirins seemed shocked by the newcomer's attitude.

"Kuroko! Are you… in a bad mood or something?" asked Koganei puzzledly.

"Hell yeah," 'Kuroko' was about to say, but he caught himself midway. "I mean… not really."

It had been a nasty shock for Aomine when he'd woken up in Kuroko's bedroom. But it was nothing compared to what he'd felt when he realised that Rainbow Mayhem had struck again.

Then came the phone call from Momoi.

"SATSUKI!" yelled Aomine the moment he picked up the line.

"Dai-chan! It's – it's you?"

"YOU BET IT'S ME! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!"

Momoi was in tears.

"I'm so sorry, Dai-chan! I was so worried when I found out about it from Akashi-kun that I immediately called you up!"

"Liar! Isn't this Tetsu's number?"

"I predicted you would be in his body… "

"As if. You're just more worried about him!"

Momoi bawled again. "I'm sorry, Dai-chan, I really am! I should have burned the _omamori_ like you said!"

"Well, no point crying over unburned _omamori!_ What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Momoi then told him about the gathering in Touou. It turned out that Akashi was behind the meetup. It made Aomine feel slightly better remembering that Akashi was at the helm, but it also made him feel a whole lot more at ease when he told Momoi to inform whoever was in his body not to go digging through his stuff.

 _Though if it's someone like Murasakibara, he'd only be interested in the contents of my fridge,_ he thought.

Momoi had apologised a final time before he'd hung up. Thinking back, Aomine felt a little bad for taking it out on her. It wasn't like she'd meant for this to happen after all.

But now, he had to face a complication.

"You're late, Kuroko," frowned Hyuuga. "Train got stalled?"

"Yeah," said Aomine. _My train of thought._ He might not even have turned up if Kuroko's grandma hadn't asked why he wasn't leaving for practice. It wasn't like he wanted to show up, but he felt it would be less inconvenient to pretend to be Kuroko than to explain that they had body-switched.

"Alright. I'll overlook it this time." Hyuuga stabbed a thumb over his shoulder."Get into your teams and start moving."

Aomine disliked practice to begin with. Playing with his opponents on the other hand, was nothing short of torture.

And to top it all, Kagami was on his team.

A scowl wrinkled Aomine's features. "To think the day would come when we're playing for the same side… "

Kagami turned to look at him. "What's that?"

Aomine jerked his head away. "Nothing."

Kagami stared at his teammate.

 _Huh? Kuroko seems pretty off today. I wonder what's troubling him._

As their training began, Aomine wondered what he was supposed to do.

 _Since Kuroko mostly passes, does it mean I'm supposed to do the same?_

"Kuroko, what are you standing there for? You're making Kagami do all the work," called Hyuuga as he ran past the Miracle.

Aomine felt a tweak of annoyance.

The ball was with the opposing team. One of the first years was gearing up to make a pass to Izuki.

Now was his chance.

Moving unpredictably, Aomine cut in just as the ball was about to reach Izuki. He swiped it from right in front of Izuki's face and pitched it at a shocked Kagami.

 _What was that?_ thought Kagami, barely catching the pass. _It didn't look like Misdirection!_

"Go, Kagami!" shouted Koganei.

Kagami covered the distance to the hoop in three strides and rammed the ball in.

 _Is dunking all he can do?_ thought Aomine. But on the inside, he was smiling. _He really is an idiot._

"Not bad, Kuroko!" grinned Koganei, knocking Aomine's back enthusiastically. "What would we do without your awesome steals?"

Before Aomine could answer, he felt something else on his back – a scorching gaze that could be traced back to a red-haired player.

 _What is he trying to do, start a staring contest?_ groaned Aomine inwardly.

Aomine kept trying to recreate Kuroko's 'magic' passes.

Relying on honed instincts, he followed the ball with a vengeance. Changing its course was surprisingly difficult, and several times he was in danger of sprains. But Kuroko's wrists had been exposed to all sorts of contortions, and Aomine was quick to adapt.

As the game progressed, though, his interest began to slip away.

 _This started off interesting, but all I'm doing is bending the ball's direction. I know Tetsu's passes look cool from the outside, but compared to what I normally do, this has to be the dullest role in the game. No wonder he always walks around with a deadpan face._

The Seirins were beginning to notice the change in 'Kuroko'.

"What's going on with Kuroko?" demanded Izuki. "He's making passes but he's totally visible!"

Aida, Seirin's young female coach, was also confused.

 _He's faster now,_ she realised. _Using speed instead of Misdirection? How is he doing that?_

Twenty minutes in, Aomine suddenly found himself in possession of the ball. One of his teammates had passed to him after being surrounded by defenders.

For a moment, Aomine just stood there.

"Go, Kuroko!" his teammate urged him on.

Aomine grinned as anticipation surged through him. He started bouncing the ball slowly, and then pushed off with rapid acceleration. He barrelled past three players, finding it much easier to move around in Kuroko's lightweight body. As the stunned players watched, he propelled himself up and scored with a formless shot.

Then he realised what he had just done.

 _Urgh! Now I've done it…_

"Wow!" Furihata and the other second years were so impressed their jaws practically smacked the floor.

Aomine rubbed the back of his head. Why couldn't he have suppressed himself?

"Sorry," he said uselessly. "I was drifting off."

 _"Drifting off?"_ Hyuuga looked like he didn't believe what he'd just heard.

 _Urgh. This is a real pain,_ grimaced Aomine.

Kagami was completely stunned by the change in his teammate.

 _The hell did Kuroko pick up those moves? They were crazy similar to that guy's…_

Now Aomine noticed Kagami's intensive stare.

 _Argh! That idiot is catching on. I gotta throw in a smokescreen._

"I think I might have hurt my wrist," said Aomine, trying to hide his irritation as he flashed his perfectly functional limb. "Continue the game without me."

That put all thoughts of Aomine's performance out of everyone's head.

"Hurt your wrist?" exclaimed Aida, leaping to her feet. "We can't have you injuring yourself before the match! Let me have a look."

"Relax. It's not like I pulled a ligament," said Aomine. At everyone's expression, he rushed to add, "I mean, it's fine. Really. I'll head out and get an ice pack."

 _Is what I said,_ thought Aomine fifteen minutes later, as he browsed through gravure magazines in a bookstore. _I'm pretty familiar with the area. Lucky I remembered there was a bookstore nearby. Since I can't do anything until tomorrow, I might as well kick back and..._

"An ice pack, huh?"

An imposing figure loomed over Aomine, a large scowl on his face.

Aomine sighed and snatched up the bag containing his newly wrapped gravure issue.

"Of all the people to get caught by… "

Together, the pair walked out of the store.

Kagami was studying Aomine in confusion.

"Kuroko, why are you behaving like Aomine?"

Aomine grimaced. "Why?" he said with a short, bitter laugh. "Maybe because I _am_ Aomine."

There was a very long pause. If the circumstances were different, Aomine would have found Kagami's face to be highly comical.

"Kuroko," said Kagami uneasily, "I know you're not a natural comedian, but still… "

" _That's not it!_ I'm being serious here!" Aomine jabbed at the _omamori_ below his neck. "These - these little _jinxes_ have been a recurring cause of grief for all of us!"

"All of us?" Kagami clearly didn't comprehend his meaning. "What are you talking about?"

"I meant for us Miracles!"

Aomine told Kagami about the time the Generation had experienced their first body swaps.

Kagami's jaw dropped. "You guys switched bodies? For real?"

"Yeah. And now history repeats itself. Funny how it works. Why the hell didn't Akashi see this coming? What's the point of having an Eye that can see the future if he's not putting it to good use?"

Kagami gave him a look. "You know, you're not making any sense now."

Aomine sighed. "The point is, we've switched. I'm Aomine, but I'm in Tetsu's body. And Tetsu is in one of the Miracles' bodies. Got it?"

When Kagami continued to look dumbstruck, Aomine made a frustrated noise.

" _Argh!_ You'll see for yourself tomorrow, alright? Tetsu and the others will be coming over. Maybe seeing Midorima or Akashi vanish before your eyes will convince you – "

"I don't have to. You just proved it on the court," said Kagami unexpectedly. He gave Aomine a long, hard look. "I was wondering why you seemed so… conspicuous today."

"Huh. At least you aren't difficult to convince."

"But how did this happen?"

"Not a damn clue. The _omamori_ don't have our names on them, and it's not like we slept together last night… "

"You guys slept together?"

"It's not what it sounds like." Aomine pointed at Kagami's _omamori._ "Anyway, if I were you, I'd toss chuck this into the next trash can that crosses my path."

Kagami held up the _omamori_ , as though contemplating the notion.

"I'll hang on to it for now," he said. He turned to look Aomine in the eye. "Switched or not, a match is still a match. I'm still not sure what's going on, but I'll do my best to help you guys." His gaze grew more intense. "That said, you'd better change back before the Interhigh begins, Aomine, cos I've been training like hell to beat you."

For the first time that day, Aomine grinned.

"Like you have to say it, idiot."

It had been a while since Aomine eft the gym. The pair decided to head back before Aida began to sense something amiss.

"Wait a minute!" spluttered Kagami, doing a double take. "You're not going to hold on to that magazine, are you?"

"Huh?" Aomine had almost forgotten about it. "Oh… right. I'll just say it's yours."

"Like real! Get rid of it!"

"Get rid of it? I paid for it!"

"Didn't you get the money from Kuroko's loot?!"

"I'll pay him back when this whole fiasco is over."

"I'm telling you, just toss it out already!"

 **– Kaijo –**

No one on the team was buying Kuroko's excuse.

"Private training in Tokyo?" said Nakamura dubiously. "Is this another expression for 'private rendezvous with secret girlfriends'?"

Kuroko stared at him blankly. _What on earth is he talking about?_

"No can do, Kise! We can't afford to have our Ace fooling around with the Interhigh at our doorstep!" chided Hayakawa.

"That's right!" said Nakamura indignantly. "What happened to 'not being mature enough to play basketball logically?' Or 'wanting to win with everyone?' Have you forgotten all of that?"

Their words stunned Kuroko.

 _I'm sorry, Momoi-san. It's too difficult for me to argue against Kise-kun's teammates after all._

Without an alternative, Kuroko joined the Kaijos for practice.

He had a painful sense of _dejavu_ as the players got into positions. Thanks to Hayakawa saving their rebounds, Kuroko's team was soon winning.

Then someone decided to pass the ball to Kuroko.

The Kaijo first year looked around puzzledly. "What the… ? Where did Kise go?"

"I'm right here," said Kuroko, causing those in the vicinity to jump.

"Kise! How long have you been there?" they asked in astonishment.

Kuroko shrugged helplessly. The first year tossed him the ball, which he caught. He felt as nervous as he had been in his debut game, but he gathered his wits and dribbled toward the goal.

A split second later, his ball got stolen.

Then it happened again. And again. And again.

"Kise, what's wrong with you?" demanded a bewildered Nakamura, when Kuroko finally reached the basket, but missed it entirely.

Kuroko bent over, huffing heavily. He was destroying Kise's reputation at a frightening rate.

"This is a lot more serious than we thought," one of the juniors whispered to the third years worriedly. "He must be having some deep issues with his girlfriend. I mean, it _would_ explain his hairdo."

Kuroko's guilt was immediately replaced by stupefaction.

 _Huh?_

Hayakawa pointed a finger gun at Kuroko. "Alright, Kise! Go settle stuff with your girlfriend, but be sure to be back in time for the first preliminaries! I won't forgive you if you're late for even one second!"

And that was how Kuroko found himself riding the train back to Tokyo that afternoon.

 _Well, I've managed to pull it off… somehow,_ he reflected, staring out the windows tiredly. He wondered what Kise would do once he found out that everyone in Kaijo was under the impression that he couldn't play basketball due to a major case of love-sickness.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

 _Has the Emperor Eye finally taken its toll?_

There could be no other explanation for his suddenly blurry vision. And blinking didn't help, either.

Akashi was normally a morning person, but somehow he was still a little sleepy. The cause of his awaking had been a woman's voice coming somewhere from his ten o' clock.

 _"Good morning! This is a daily broadcast from Oha Asa! Today's horoscope for Cancer is… "_

 _Oha Asa?_

Immediately wide awake, Akashi grabbed the cellphone that was emitting those dreadful words.

 _This isn't possible…_

From his reflection on the phone screen, Akashi made out Midorima's narrow green eyes.

It was seven in the morning, and already his day had gotten off to the worst possible start.

Akashi leaned forward, and the _omamori_ he was wearing slipped off his chest. It swung gently in space as he contemplated what to do.

Definitely, his first priority was to contact Momoi and the others. Then he had to find out the cause of the switch, not to mention he had to go about the day without drawing suspicion from people who knew Midorima.

Akashi hunted down the family telephone and rang up Momoi. She sounded panicked when he told her about the swap, but she promised to liaise with the other Miracles. After telling her to gather all the Miracles in Touou, Akashi took a shower.

Once he had dried himself off, Akashi looked around Midorima's immaculate bedroom. What now? Did Midorima have any plans today? With the Interhigh drawing near, it wouldn't be far-out to guess that Shutoko were holding training sessions.

As if on cue, Midorima's cellphone came to life.

"Shin-chan! Your gallant partner is coming for you!"

An overly cheerful voice blasted Akashi's ear. He drew the phone away slightly.

"Takao-san?" No doubt it was him, since his name had shown on the caller ID, and the voice was unmistakable. But Akashi wanted to make sure.

There was a pause, and then Takao's laughter could be heard.

"What? _Takao-san?_ Is this a new way of acting aloof, Shin-chan? It's way too cute!"

Normally, Akashi would have no idea how to react. But these were exceptional circumstances.

"Be quiet, Takao!" he barked into the phone. "What do you want?"

"I'm almost at your house. Aren't you finished yet? Miyaji-senpai will hurl a pineapple at you if you're late!"

Being Miyaji's younger brother, the joke now applied to the present Captain, Miyaji Yuya.

Akashi stroked his chin thoughtfully. So there _was_ practice. Well, since there were only four days 'til the preliminaries, he would be surprised to find a team that wasn't practising at the moment.

"I'm heading down now nanodayo," he told Takao. "Wait outside the gate."

"O – K!"

Akashi pocketed Midorima's cell and wallet. Before leaving, he remembered to tape his left fingers. It felt kind of stiff and itchy. He doubted that Midorima made a habit of showering with these things on.

A girl was in the dining area, spooning cereal into her mouth. Akashi that guessed she was Midorima's sister. He smiled at her, which gave her a shock.

"What the…?" she uttered, raising her eyebrows. "Are you sleepwalking, big brother?"

Akashi didn't reply. He moved on, Midorima's sister's bug-eyed stare following him all the way out through the front door.

Midorima's unacknowledged partner, plus his trusty rickshaw, was waiting as promised.

"Morning!" grinned Takao. The black-haired point guard was as laid-back as ever. "What ill omen does Oha Asa have to pronounce today?"

"Nothing fatal nanodayo," said Akashi, wishing he could teleport to school. "Let's go."

"Hold up! You're not forgetting our game of rock-paper-scissors, are you?"

To Akashi's relief, the game ended with his victory. Takao, who seemed to have expected this, sighed good-naturedly and hopped onto the bike.

"My loss again. Shin-chan's totally got a shining star backing him up."

Riding in the rickshaw was more embarrassing than riding the car to school. Akashi didn't know how Midorima endured it.

Takao twisted around for a moment, heedless of passersby's stares. "So what's your lucky item today, Shin-chan?"

Akashi glanced down at what he had. Practically nothing. "It's a T-shirt nanodayo."

"Really? Just a T-shirt? Hahahaha! That is pretty normal."

It seemed a long time before they reached the school.

Overall, the Shutoku campus was older than Rakuzan, and more worn. It had clearly stood for longer years. But the facilities were in good upkeep.

The rickshaw took up three bicycle lots. Akashi and Takao headed to the changing room.

Now Akashi had to unpeel the tape from his fingers and file his nails in an effort to stay in character. It was troublesome to the point where he was tempted to quote Murasakibara. Watching him, Takao joshed, "So how many are you aiming for today, Shin-chan?"

"However many it takes nanodayo," said Akashi, knowing immediately what Takao meant. This piqued his interest. Last time, the other Miracles had trouble shooting in Midorima's body, but Akashi had trained himself to be ambidextrous. If he pooled his concentration, he might be able to emulate Midorima's High Projectile Threes.

The rest of the Shutokus turned up in trickles. Miyaji Yuya, the only third year starter, had been made Captain after Otsubo and the other third years graduated. Akashi noted he had to be doing well, because the juniors clearly held him in high respect.

Akashi stepped into the gym, meaning to have a word with Miyaji. But the Captain was now conversing with Nakatani, Shutoku's sombre-looking coach. While waiting, Akashi decided to take Midorima's body out for a test drive.

At first, Akashi positioned himself on the three point line. Then he changed his mind and shifted until he was on the mid court line instead.

Narrowing his eyes, Akashi brought up the ball with his left hand.

And released.

Five seconds passed _._

With the softest of rustles, the ball made it through the net.

Akashi smiled. He had done it. How long had it been since he had felt such a strong sense of achievement?

Over at the sidelines, the Shutoku juniors froze at the sight of the smiling 'Midorima'.

"Hey, did you see that?"

"So it wasn't just me?"

"Yeah! Midorima smiled! He actually _smiled._ "

For a moment, Akashi thought he had given himself away. But Takao draped his arms over the first years' shoulders and grinned.

"Didn't you know? Shin-chan has been making secret smiles ever since the last Seirin game. We just pretend not to notice in case he gets embarrassed."

Akashi was intrigued. _So Midorima has been smiling more since then…_

Quickly, the Miracle made himself scowl. "Stop spreading lies, Takao. I was merely gritting my teeth nanodayo."

Takao chortled. At the same time, Akashi saw that Miyaji had finally stopped speaking to the Coach. He moved forward at once.

"What's up, Shin-chan?" asked Takao, trailing after him curiously.

"Akashi has called for a gathering in Touou High nanodayo," said Akashi without turning his head.

Takao was startled. "Touou? Why there?"

 _Because Momoi is there,_ would be the truth. Instead, Akashi said, "Akashi happens to be there at the moment nanodayo."

"But what's he doing in Touou?"

"I'm not sure nanodayo."

"Midorima, Takao," said Coach Nakatani, unfolding his arms at the sight of the approaching pair. "Anything wrong?"

Akashi fixed him with a polite but solemn stare.

"Coach, I would like to request for a day off."

Miyaji, who had just been about to walk away, did a double take.

"A day off?" he spluttered. "With the Interhigh this close? You're kidding!"

"Akashi has called for an important meeting nanodayo."

"An important meeting?" frowned Coach Nakatani. "How unusual. Does it have something to do with the Generation of Miracles?"

"Most likely."

Coach Nakatani's frown vanished. He nodded slowly. "Well, if that's the case, I'll make an exception. It's not like you haven't been working harder than the rest of us. But only because. And this will be worth all three whims for the day, all right?"

Akashi nodded. "Thank you, Coach."

"If you were going in the first place, why didn't you tell me instead of coming all the way here?" questioned Takao as they walked away.

"Because the station is close to school nanodayo," said Akashi matter-of-factly.

Takao grinned. "I see. Shin-chan's smart."

As Akashi set off for Touou, Takao gave him a cheerful wave.

"Have a safe trip, Shin-chan! Don't miss me!"

It wasn't that Takao got on his nerves, but Akashi now understood why the no-nonsense Midorima often put on a black face around the guy.

On the way to Touou, Akashi received a call from Momoi. She informed him that Murasakibara must still be in his own body because she had called everybody else and even though they had all switched, Murasakibara wasn't among them.

Akashi was nonplussed, but also relieved. Akita was the farthest from Tokyo, so it would have been troublesome to commute between both places.

It also explained Murasakibara oversleeping.

Akashi sighed. It turned out that while the others had been running around in a blind panic, Murasakibara was peacefully asleep. Akashi wondered why he was the only one who remained unchanged.

 **– Rakuzan –**

"Guys, there's someone I don't recognise standing on the court shooting threes like there's no tomorrow!" Mibuchi could be heard moaning to his team.

Hayama and Nebuya turned to look at the source of Mibuchi's unhappiness. The person had the storage bin parked next to him and was exhausting its supply of balls with continuous three-pointers.

"I don't see what's so unusual about practising long-range shots," remarked Hayama, raising an eyebrow at Mibuchi's behaviour. "He may be a point guard, but Akashi's an all-rounder too."

"He's talking funny!" complained Mibuchi. "It's creeping me out! And he hasn't smiled once, not even when I greeted him with my usual loving 'good morning!'"

"I think you're the one who's creeping him out, Big Sis Reo."

Nebuya frowned. "Did he swap with that other guy again?"

"I don't think so. The other guy was scary, but the Sei-chan now is just plain weird! I mean, look what he brought with him!"

Mibuchi stabbed a finger in the direction of one of the gym benches. A yellow rubber duck was resting on it with a contented smile.

"You see? Who in their right minds carries _that sort of thing_ to practice?"

Hayama tilted his head uncomprehendingly. "Akashi?"

"It's probably a present for his sister," said Nebuya with a shrug.

"Sei-chan doesn't have siblings!"

"A cousin, maybe?"

"Do not know the meaning of _'read between the lines?_ '"

 _What are they being so noisy for?_ wondered Midorima irritably. The Uncrowned Kings were unexpectedly rowdy. It was interfering with his concentration.

…

It had been a rude awakening for Midorima when he'd woken up in Akashi's body that early morning. Fortunately, Akashi's father had been away. A shell-shocked Midorima had been treated to a fine breakfast while being attended by two manservants. Throughout the meal, his mind was occupied by questions of why and how he had wound up in these circumstances. But all in all, he thought he had handled the whole thing well, although his body might have been too stiff, because he kept dropping his fork and even splashed tea all over the embroidered table cloth.

Not knowing Akashi's passcode, Midorima had tuned in to Oha Asa using the family TV.

 _Wait a moment nanodayo,_ he thought, pierced by a sudden revelation. _Since I'm in Akashi's body, does this mean my sign is now Sagittarius?_ He hadn't given it a lot of thought last time, but thinking now, it was a subject of extreme importance.

One of the butlers turned up to announce Akashi's schedule for the day.

"Rakuzan has basketball practice?" Midorima leapt to his feet with sudden vigour. "I shall require a lift to the nearest shopping mall nanodayo!"

Akashi's chauffeur had driven him as requested. Midorima had spent an hour prowling the mall for the lucky items, unable to make up his mind.

 _Which one nanodayo? The rubber duck for Cancers? Or the snow globe for Sagittariuses?_

He had to decide quickly. Akashi had never been late for anything before, and Midorima didn't wish to break his impeccable record.

When time almost ran out, Midorima made a break for the bath store, emerging with windblown hair and a squeaky rubber duck in his hands.

It was in this state that he'd arrived at the Rakuzan gym.

…

"I'm telling you, there is definitely something wrong with our Captain!" moaned Mibuchi, more insistently than before. "And why are you playing _cards?"_

"Is this it?" gasped Hayama, who wasn't listening. He flipped over the card he had drawn and pumped his fists in the air. " _Three of spades!_ My win!"

"Argh! I lost again!" yelled Nebuya, grabbing his head in frustration.

Mibuchi scowled, his feathers ruffled up. "Seriously? Is this a team that's been long-running champion since its founding tournament?"

"Long-running champion 'til Seirin kicked our butts," Nebuya reminded him.

"Most of the lowerclassmen have only just arrived anyway," said Hayama, stretching his arms languidly. "All rright, my engines are warmed!"

The team made their way to Midorima. Mibuchi followed behind, still miffed that his teammates had blown him off.

"Yo, Akashi! As diligent as ever, huh?" boomed Nebuya cheerily.

"Akashi! Big Sis Reo says you're acting wacky," grinned Hayama.

"I do not understand what you mean nanodayo," said 'Akashi' shortly, raising his hand to his nose bridge as if pushing up invisible glasses.

Hayama and Nebuya stopped in their tracks, mouths slightly parted.

"I told you," whispered Mibuchi fretfully. "Something is up with him."

"Up?" scoffed Midorima mildly, having overheard. "Impossible. Nothing will go wrong as long as I have my rubber duck nanodayo."

"Yours?" said Nebuya blankly. "So it wasn't a present?"

"Akashi, is this a second alter ego you didn't tell us about?" asked Hayama in confusion.

"I fail to understand the meaning of your question nanodayo," said Midorima. He made the strange gesture again before continuing in a solemn monologue, "No matter what happens today, this rubber duck will serve as a charm to counteract all misfortune. Although they ran out of the ten inch ones, I have utter confidence in my fate."

The Rakuzans exchanged looks.

"Who are you and what have you done with Akashi?" exclaimed Hayama.

"I am Akashi nanodayo," said Midorima, undaunted. He sank another basket. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'm trying to drive out my negativity with basketball."

A phone rang audibly. The Rakuzans watched in confounded silence as Midorima fished it out of his pocket and took up the call.

"I have been waiting nanodayo, Momoi."

"M – Midorin - ?!"

"You may skip the details, Momoi. Did Akashi have anything to say?"

"Uh… right. Akashi-kun wants us to meet up at Touou High. At this point I'm not sure if he's formulating a plan, but since this is Akashi-kun we're talking about, I'm sure he'll come up with something…!"

"You don't have to comfort me, Momoi. Whatever happens, as long as I continue to follow fate, my victory is assured."

"Yes. Um, Akashi-kun also said you're free to let his chauffeur drive you over. Kyoto is a long way off from Tokyo after all."

"Understood."

Midorima pocketed Akashi's cellphone and turned to face the Rakuzans again. Their bodies resembled stone statues.

"Something urgent has come up nanodayo," said Midorima solemnly. "I will be going to Tokyo. Resume your practice without me."

That said, he marched out of the gym with the rubber duck bobbing on his palm.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Kise stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, and then he gave a gasp.

A pair of rosy lips were getting ready to smooch him.

"GAH!"

Kise floundered; the magazine slid down his face and landed with a smack on the floor.

Breathing heavily, Kise gaped at the exhibition of gravure idols. They were everywhere – on the floor, the desk, even on his lap.

For a moment, Kise thought his sister had pulled a prank on him. But when he looked around, all he saw was a very unfamiliar room that was littered with lurid magazines.

Kise clutched his head and groaned loudly.

This could not be happening.

It took a while for Kise to recover from the shock. Not knowing what to do, he got up and paced the room restlessly.

As he tried to think, the idols seemed to follow his every move with provocative eyes.

Slightly red in the face, Kise snatched up as many magazines as he could and dumped them on the desk, facedown.

Not longer after, Aomine's phone had trilled.

"Momo-cchi!" groaned Kise with relief. "Thank God you called! Aomine-cchi's gravures are – "

"Ah! Ki-chan? So you're the one in Aomine-kun's body!"

"Huh? You know about this?"

"Yes, Akashi-kun told me – "

" _Momo-cchi!_ You know this happened because you didn't listen to us– !"

"I'm sorry, Ki-chan! I'm sorry… I thought that… "

Kise sighed unhappily. "No… forget it. You don't have to apologise to all of us. I guess everyone else has switched too?"

"I think so. Akashi-kun says he wants us to meet up… "

Kise listened until Momoi finished elaborating. Apparently, she had also rung up Aomine before this, because at the end of the conversation –

"By the way, Aomine-kun says not to touch any of his stuff," she said.

 _Seriously? He's saying that after leaving his room in this state?_ thought Kise exasperatedly.

"Fine, fine," sighed the Kaijo ace. "I'll leave his stuff alone."

"I'll see you in a couple of hours, OK?" said Momoi. "Touou has practice at ten sharp, but I'll be busy until lunchtime. Hang in there, Ki-chan."

"Yeah..."

The call disconnected.

Kise collapsed onto Aomine's bed. Somehow, knowing that Akashi was handling the situation afforded him some degree of comfort. After all, the former Teikou Captain had been the one to pull them out of this mess the last time.

His cheerfulness returning, Kise got ready to leave.

 **–** **Touou –**

When 'Aomine' strode into the Touou gym with a hearty "Yo!", it gave all the players a start.

"Aomine-kun?" blinked Sakurai, looking somewhat fearful. "What's the matter with you?"

Kise was surprised. "Huh? Why would you ask that? I'm fine, of course!"

The other Touous began to whisper together.

"Hey, what happened to him?"

"I don't know. He looks so happy it's scary."

"Maybe something good happened."

"Something good?"

"Yeah… like, maybe Wakamatsu decided to appoint him as Captain…"

" _Who_ decided to appoint who Captain?" demanded Wakamatsu, whipping around with a sports towel draped across his shoulder. "Is there something I don't know?"

"Is it true, Wakamatsu-senpai?" asked the lowerclassmen. "Did you make Aomine the new Captain?"

Kise was wide-eyed. "Aomine-cchi? Really? That's amazing!"

Everyone stared at him.

"Aomine-cchi?" they said blankly.

"What's going on?" asked Sakurai, looking left and right in confusion. "Since when did Wakamatsu-senpai make Aomine-kun the new Captain?"

"More importantly, did he just call himself Aomine- _cchi?"_ uttered one of the second years in astonishment.

 _Yikes._ _Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut,_ thought Kise.

Wakamatsu put his hands together. The chatter died down.

"I don't know what's going on," he declared irritably, "but no one is making Aomine captain. Don't start weird rumours by yourselves. Aomine, stop clowning around. You're barely on time as it is. Let's move out, everyone!"

Kise was lost. "But what about practice?"

"This _is_ practice. We're running laps today."

"Oh, I see. So Touou holds this kind of training?"

Wakamatsu cast 'Aomine' a suspicious frown. "What are you talking about? Running is standard, isn't it?"

Kise gave a cheery salute. "Roger that, Captain!"

Wakamatsu's jaw dropped. Aomine wasn't being odd – he was being all-out kooky.

Wakamatsu kept glancing at Kise as the Touous got down to the first set of their training regimen. Although it was hot, a comfortable breeze played across their faces as they jogged along the school parameter. Kise ran alongside Wakamatsu, oblivious to his scrutinising stares. Gradually, he came to realise that he wasn't as tired as he would usually be.

 _Of course, Aomine has more stamina than I do. Come to think of it, this is my first time in his body, isn't it? It's a good chance to tap some data!_

When the Touous returned to the gym, they got down to individual practice.

The baller began to score with all sorts of styles. Wakamatsu performed a move like a double pump reverse dunk. The flashy manoeuvre snagged Kise's attention.

 _Wow. That looks complicated. I wonder if I can do it in this body…_

Right after Wakamatsu pulled away, Kise ran to the hoop and performed the exact same move the Captain did.

 _Not good enough,_ decided Kise, wiping perspiration off his chin. _I should curve my arms more…_

Wakamatsu performed his special move again. And again, Kise Copied him. This went on for half a dozen rounds.

At last, Wakamatsu noticed what Kise was up to.

"What are you playing around for?" he yelled, bonking the Miracle's head with an angry fist.

" _Ow!_ What are you, Kasamatsu-senpai?" demanded Kise unhappily. "Even your names are similar."

Wakamatsu hit him again. "Are you talking back to your Captain?"

Kise began to wail. "So mean! Why do I get hit even when I'm on a different team?"

The Touous were thunderstruck to see 'Aomine' in tears.

"Aomine-kun…?" Sakurai gaped at the Miracle in utter confusion.

Wakamatsu was completely dumbfounded. "The hell is wrong with you? I didn't hit you that hard..."

"AH!"

All of a sudden, the real Aomine came running in furiously.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, grabbing Kise and giving him a few hard shakes. "Snap out of it, you idiot!"

As the Touous gaped at them, Akashi entered the scene. He managed to interpret the situation with a single sweeping glance.

"'Kuroko', let go of him," Akashi told the real Aomine. "'Aomine', please remember who you are at the moment."

Aomine was annoyed. "You're Kise, aren't you? Snap out of it! You're making me look like a wimp!"

"'Kuroko', that is 'Aomine' you are talking to," reiterated Akashi.

Kise was staring at Aomine puzzledly. "Aomine-cchi? Is it you?"

"No, I'm Tetsu – I mean, Kuroko! Argh!"

Aomine walked away, clutching his head. This body-swapping business was giving him a colossal migraine.

"Calm down, Kuroko," instructed Akashi. "You are going to overstress yourself."

Kise now directed his gaze at Akashi.

"Akashi– ?" he began, but Akashi cut him off with a shake of his head.

Kise nodded. He looked at Aomine, and then suddenly, he gave a grin.

"Ao – I mean, Kuroko-cchi! You're so small!" he cried, running up to Aomine and tackling him affably. "I can practically lift you! This is so cool!"

"The hell, Ki–Aomine?! Let me go! Your mood swing's scarier than my Mum's!"

Akashi noticed the flabbergasted Touous watching them.

"Aomine, have you told the Coach about our meeting?" he asked Kise.

"I was planning to," replied Kise, as an irate Aomine ducked out of his grip. "But I don't think he's here today."

"No matter. You can inform your Captain instead."

"What's going on?" demanded Wakamatsu, striding up to the Miracles with a confused look. "Why are Midorima and Kuroko here?"

"Sorry, senpai. Akashi-cchi has called for an urgent meeting with all the Miracles," said Kise with an apologetic smile. "It's stuff related to the Interhigh, so it's pretty important."

Wakamatsu frowned. "Stuff related to the Interhigh? What do you mean?"

"It's… er… something between us Miracles."

"You're being specific," said Wakamatsu sarcastically. "Will it take long?"

"Well..."

"Don't be so uptight, Wakamatsu. This is Aomine you're talking to," Aomine told his Captain aloofly. "Skipping a day's practice is no big deal."

Wakamatsu stared at him like he would a talking cow. Why on earth was the mild-mannered Kuroko being so petty to him?

"Let's wait for the others outside," suggested Kise. He turned and waved cheerfully at Wakamatsu and the rest of the Touous. "See you again, Touou!"

As the Miracles left the gym, someone called out to them.

"Ah! You guys!"

They had run into Momoi. When she caught sight of Aomine, her face lit up, and she rammed into him with the force of a truck.

 _"Tetsu-kun!"_

"Not again," groaned Aomine.

"Momoi, this is 'Aomine'," reminded Akashi. "We swapped bodies, remember?"

"I know! But Tetsu-kun's body is just too good to resist!" said Momoi, rubbing her head against Aomine's chest.

"Momo-cchi, that's sexual harrassment," frowned Kise.

 _You're one to talk,_ scowled Aomine.

When they reached the school gates, Akashi checked the time.

"Kuroko and Midorima should be here soon."

"What about Murasakibara-cchi?"

Momoi shook her head. "It seems Mukkun is the only one who hasn't changed."

"What?" yelped Kise.

"Well," grumbled Aomine, "I guess some people have all the luck."

"But why? Didn't he put on his _omamori?_ " asked Kise worriedly.

"Maybe not," surmised Aomine. "The laziest Miracle turns out to be the smartest. The irony."

"Aomine-cchi, you're not exactly a role model."

Aomine's expression abruptly changed. "Ugh. Megane incoming."

A red-haired figure was approaching them. Bobbing to the rhythm of his footsteps was a cheerful rubber duck, looking right at home on his upended palm.

"It's good to see you, Midorima," smiled Akashi, when the figure came to a stop.

Midorima blinked in surprise. "How did you know it was me?"

"Because Satsuki told us," said Aomine dryly.

"Because only one Miracle in the world would carry around a rubber duck," said Kise with a laugh. "Long time no see, Midorima-cchi!"

"So you are Kise and Aomine," said Midorima, in way of greeting. He looked at Akashi. "And you are Akashi?"

"I am. I trust you had a smooth journey?"

"It was uneventful nanodayo. Thank you for lending me the car, Akashi."

"Not at all. I was the one who called you here anyway. Now all that's left is to wait for Kuroko."

"If that's the case, Kuroko-cchi must be in my body," deduced Kise. A delighted smile spread across his face at the thought. "Maybe he'll finally be able to understand me better if he's in my shoes."

"I do not think it is so straightforward nanodayo," stated Midorima, pushing up his non-existent glasses.

"Midorima, if you don't want your sanity questioned, you have to stop doing that," Aomine informed him exasperatedly.

"Nonsense," said Midorima derisively. "The only time that will happen is if I fail to acquire my lucky item nanodayo. It was a difficult choice. It was either this or a snow globe nanodayo."

"It's pretty cute," said Kise, poking the duck with good humour. "My sister used to play with one as a kid."

"Did you know? Squeezing your lucky items will give you extra luck," said Aomine, with a slight grin.

Midorima looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. "Very funny nanodayo."

"You should have gone with the snow globe," said Kise, also grinning.

"I am one who follows fate nanodayo."

"And look where it brought you," said Aomine, referring to their present conundrum.

"The top shooter in Japanese high school basketball nanodayo," was Midorima's curt reply.

"Akashi became the Emperor without Oha Asa's fortune-reading," pointed out Aomine.

"It's called 'Emperor Eye' nanodayo. If Akashi were an Emperor then I would have been his aide-de-camp."

"if that's the case, I would have been the Unbeatable Soldier," said Aomine, looking pleased at the thought.

Kise sighed. "I guess this is what happens when you fail World History."

They stood there for twenty minutes, being slow-baked under the scorching sun. If Murasakibara had been there, he would have polished off seven boxes of popsicles in the time they'd waited.

"I wonder what's keeping him?" fretted Momoi. "Do you think the trains are congested?"

"They were," said a voice behind her.

Momoi's heart jumped. Kise, Midorima and Aomine eyed the Miracle who had popped up out of the blue.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Kuroko, raising a hand in apology.

 _"Tetsu-kun!"_ Momoi flew into Kuroko joyfully. Kuroko wasn't surprised by this, but the sight of 'Aomine' bounding toward him like an overexcited puppy did.

"Kuroko-cchi! I can't believe you're in my body!"

Kuroko stared. "Kise-kun, please don't move."

"Eh? Why?"

"I want to brand the image of this happy-go-lucky Aomine-kun into my mind."

Midorima coughed into his hand. Aomine made an irate noise.

Kise was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.

"Kuroko-cchi, you never fail to deliver the unexpected!"

Momoi wrapped her arms around Kuroko happily.

"Tetsu-kun! Aomine-kun may be in your body now, but he's totally the opposite of the cute you! You'll always be my dreamy Tetsu-kun!"

"Momoi-san, I can't breathe… "

"Come to think of it… Kuroko-cchi, you don't look so good," observed Kise suddenly. He grabbed Kuroko's shoulders in alarm. "You have eye bags! What happened to you?"

"He must have been harrassed by your fan girls," said Aomine.

Kise gasped. "Is that true, Kuroko-cchi?"

Kuroko's eyes shifted downward. "The truth is, I think I was the one who caused trouble."

"Eh? How come?"

Kuroko made himself look Kise in the eye. "I'm sorry, Kise-kun. Because of me, the Kaijos seem to think you're having girlfriend problems."

He expected Kise to lose it. To his surprise, though, Kise just laughed.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first," said the Kaijo Ace with a wave of his hand. "Those guys think I'm dating a different girl every week."

But Kuroko looked away again. "And also… I might have played with them a little."

Kise's eyes bulged like a goldfish's. "You did? H…How did it go?"

Kuroko decided not to beat around the bush.

"You are free never to forgive me, Kise-kun."

Kise was devastated.

"That bad, huh?" said Aomine sympathetically, as the Kaijo Ace grabbed his head.

"So what?" he asked weakly. "Am I… am I off the team?"

"No," said Kuroko, seeming surprised by his dramatic reaction. "They thought you were distracted by your girlfriend."

At once, Kise let out a gust of breath.

"Is that all?" he laughed, shaky with relief. "If that's the case… I guess no harm done then!"

 _I see. Kise-kun is still at the age where basketball bothers him more than romance,_ noted Kuroko. It seemed he didn't have to worry after all.

Kise clapped Kuroko's back cheerfully. "Don't worry about it, Kuroko-cchi! I'm sure you tried your best."

"Of course! Tetsu-kun is the best!" cried Momoi, hugging Kuroko lovingly.

At that instant, Aomine snapped a photo of the two of them.

"All rright. I'm sending this to Kaijo," he said casually.

"AOMINE-CCHI!"

"What? They have to know you made up with your 'girlfriend'."

"Get rid of that right now!"

Momoi planted her hands on both hips. "Aomine-kun! If you have to send them a photo, send them one of me embracing you!"

"Huh? Why me?"

"'Cos you're in Tetsu-kun's body, of course!"

"No thanks. Tetsu, how do I attach this?"

Kise tried to swipe the phone from Aomine. "You don't even know their addresses! Give it back!"

"Back? It's mine."

"No it isn't! It's totally Kuroko-cchi's!"

"I am Tetsu."

"No, you're not!"

When Kise refused to give up, Aomine finally relented.

"Fine! I'll delete it, all rright?" he grumbled. "I guess no one appreciates my help anymore."

"Shall we get down to business?" suggested Midorima impatiently. He had endured this ridiculous banter as long as he could. "At this rate we will all be as dark as Aomine nanodayo."

"I say we discuss the problem over a meal," said Momoi brightly, putting her arms around Kuroko once more.

"Is there a burger joint nearby?" asked Kuroko, gently trying to disengage himself from Momoi. "I would like to have a vanilla shake."

"I don't see why not," said Akashi, with a smile. "Aomine, could you show us the way?"

"Fine by me. Thanks to this _omamori_ party, I haven't had a chance to grab some lunch."

"Yeah! Grilled burgers, here we come!" cheered Kise.


	21. Chapter 21

**The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kuroko – Kise

Kise - Aomine

Midorima – Akashi

Aomine – Kuroko

Murasakibara – Murasakibara

Akashi – Midorima

...

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

Once the group had settled down and were munching on grilled chicken burgers, Momoi raised the question that was weighing down on them the most.

"The first thing we need to find out is what made you guys switch. Clearly, the _omamori_ were the tools. In this case, what could be the trigger?"

Aomine set down his already empty burger wrapper and shrugged."No idea. All I did was wear it."

"Me too," said Kise as he reached for some fries. "I never took it off."

Momoi leaned forward, frowning. "Wait. You _never_ took it off?"

"Nope. Except when I was showering."

Momoi looked horrified. "Wait a minute… you _all_ wore the _omamori_ to bed?"

"Isn't it how they work?" asked Kuroko.

Momoi looked ready to combust.

"You're supposed to wear it when you're awake! There was no need to _sleep_ with it!"

Kuroko gaped at her. Kise fries dangled limply from his fingers. Akashi raised his eyebrows. Midorima and Aomine just looked blank.

Momoi buried her face in her hands. "No wonder you guys switched… the Interhigh is never going to happen now."

"Don't say that," reproached Aomine. "I've got more important things to do than run around in other people's bodies."

"Like sneaking in some late-night gravure reading?" asked Kise dryly.

Aomine was horrified. "Kise! You went through my stuff?"

"It's not exactly a secret nanodayo," stated Midorima.

"That's right! You were the one who fell asleep with a gravure on your face, Aomine-cchi," accused Kise. "Besides, your room was in such a mess it wouldn't have made a difference."

"Dai-chan, you haven't changed at all," scolded Momoi.

"Aomine-kun, you should try to tidy your room more often," Kuroko told him.

Aomine groaned. "Not you too, Tetsu."

"Coming back to the topic," said Midorima. "If I recall, the last time we switched was because of Momoi's wish nanodayo."

"That's right," said Akashi. "It wasn't merely because we slept together. The omamori were acting on her wish as well."

Momoi straightened up.

"I'm calling Mukkun," she announced suddenly.

Hoping that Murasakibara wasn't still sleeping the day away, Momoi dialled his number and put the call on loudspeaker.

The phone rang five times before Murasakibara picked up.

"Hello?" he said lazily.

"Mukkun! Did you wear your _omamori_ to bed?"

"Huh? What's with the sudden question?"

"Just tell me! Please."

There was a pause. Murasakibara's reply sounded a little miffed.

"Well, yeah. If you were worried about that, there's nothing I can do, you know?"

"A-All right. Sorry for bothering you, Mukkun."

"Bye bye, Sa-chin."

"Hold it nanodayo!" shouted Midorima suddenly, as soon as the call ended. "Are you telling me that Murasakibara is still in his own body?"

"Oh, that's right! We still haven't told you and Tetsu-kun, have we?" said Momoi in surprise. "Sorry, Midorin."

"Actually, I sort of guessed it when I saw you utside the school gates," admitted Kuroko.

"Yeah, now that I think about, it was rather obvious," nodded Kise.

"Are you implying something?" said Midorima irritably.

"To be honest, I thought Aomine-kun must be in Mukkun's body at first," laughed Momoi. "They're the only ones who like to sleep in."

Aomine sighed. "Thanks for the compliment, Satsuki."

"But if Murasakibara-cchi wore the _omamori_ to bed too," said Kise slowly, "why isn't he part of the swap then?"

"Maybe he got lucky?" guessed Aomine.

Midorima was doubtful. "I doubt it nanodayo."

"Midorima is right," agreed Akashi. "Was there something else we did in common on that day?"

"Well… we were interacting through the video conference," said Momoi.

Aomine snapped his fingers. "That could be it!"

Kuroko thought back to that day. _What did I do before slipping on the omamori…?_

His eyes widened.

"Um," he said to the group at large. "I think I might have done something _._ "

Everyone stared at him.

"Done something?" repeated Momoi.

Kuroko nodded. "Because Momoi-san, you said that wearing the _omamori_ might give us the abilities we've always wanted. At that time I was thinking, _Maybe I can finally be as good as Kise-kun_ , and then I put it on right away."

Horror was dawning on Kise. "So did I!" he cried. "I doubted the _omamori_ would help me to beat Aomine-cchi, but I put it on anyway just as I was thinking about it!"

Abruptly, Aomine's forehead bumped the table. "And I was thinking about beating Tetsu and that idiot with my own strength … "

"I wondering if the _omamori_ would serve as a charm to defeat Akashi nanodayo…" groaned Midorima.

Now they all looked at Akashi. The Rakuzan Captain merely shook his head.

"I had no such thoughts at that point in time."

Momoi whipped out her cell again. "I'm calling Mukkun!"

This time, it took only one ring for Murasakibara to answer.

"Sa-chin? What is it this time?" he grumbled.

"Mukkun, were you thinking of anything before putting on your _omamori?_ "

"Eh? Anything...? Well, I was thinking how tiresome it would be if we were to switch again. Dieting's a big no-no."

"Was there anything else?"

"No. Why are you asking all these weird questions, Sa-chin? Sa-chin?..."

Murasakibara looked at his phone screen. Momoi had hung up.

 _How rude. What's wrong with her? Oh well. Back to my snacks…_ Murasakibara tore open a new bag of chips and crunched on them idly.

 **…**

Midorima folded his arms.

"Well," he said, gazing at the group flatly, "at least we now know the reason behind the switch nanodayo."

"In a nutshell, everyone except Akashi-cchi and Murasakibara-cchi turned into the person they were thinking of when they slipped on their _omamori_ ," sighed Kise.

"Actually, there's still something I'm not quite sure of," said Kuroko thoughtfully. "If neither Murasakibara-kun and Akashi-kun were thinking of anyone, then why did Akashi-kun become Midorima-kun?"

"'Cos his body was already taken, wasn't it?" said Aomine dully. "And since Murasakibara wasn't supposed to be affected, Akashi had to settle for Midorima's body."

"Midorima-cchi is a body-snatcher," remarked Kise.

"Kise, don't make me punch Kuroko nanodayo."

"Kise-kun, please don't make Midorima-kun punch me."

"EH? How did it come to that?!"

"So what do we do now?" asked Momoi worriedly. "Will everything will go back to the way it was if you fulfil your desires?"

Midorima nodded stiffly. "I think the answer to that would be 'yes' nanodayo. I cannot see how else it would happen."

"But Kuroko-cchi's wish is the odd one out," pointed out Kise. "Didn't he say he wanted to play like me?"

Aomine assumed a corpselike expression. "No matter how you look at it, it's completely impossible."

"Isn't it? There's no way Kuroko-cchi can master Perfect Copy by the Interhigh!"

"I don't think he can even learn to shoot normally by then, nanodayo."

Kuroko dropped his head in dejection. "I apologise for being useless… "

"How can you say that?" cried Kise. He rounded on Midorima. "Midorima-cchi, don't be so critical! Kuroko-cchi is amazing in his own way too."

"I do not think it works in that Kuroko has to play like Kise," said Akashi quietly. "I think he simply has to reach Kise's level."

It was the straw that broke it. Aomine slid down his seat, drained of all hope.

"Well, time to bid the Interhigh Championship farewell… "

"Pull yourself together, you guys~" admonished Momoi. "We haven't used up all of our options yet."

"That's right! Akashi-cchi must have thought of something by now. Haven't you, Akashi-cchi?"

They all turned to look at the Rakuzan Captain, who was deep in thought.

Finally, Akashi raised his eyes.

"I have an idea," he said. "But first, I must ask – what is your reason for holding these desires?"

"Are you asking us why we want to beat our opponents?" asked Aomine in disbelief. "Because it pretty much speaks for itself."

"If that's the case, why did you end up in the bodies of the people you want to defeat?"

No one said anything. They looked stumped by the question.

Momoi put in her own two cents. "Maybe a part of them wants to _be_ them."

"I see. You're saying they do not believe in their own strengths," said Akashi.

"I believe that as long as we don't quit, there is always a chance to win," said Kuroko sincerely.

The others were still floored.

"But I don't look up to Aomine-cchi anymore," protested Kise. "I took care of that sentiment a long time ago."

"Looking up to and wanting to be are not the same thing, Ki-chan," Momoi told him.

"Are you saying I want to be like Tetsu?" demanded Aomine. "Because I've been pretty focussed on beating him and that idiot, not becoming like them. Besides, I've never thought that I was weak."

"I believe the _omamori_ did their best to adhere to our desires," surmised Akashi. "Which would mean we were assigned to these bodies due to a cross between their capabilities and what you wanted."

"This is definitely the work of black magic," muttered Aomine crustily.

"Kise-kun, I hope this doesn't make things awkward between us," said Kuroko, staring up at Kise frankly.

" _Awkward?_ " Kise gave Kuroko an extra-passionate hug. "I couldn't be happier that you want to be like me, Kuroko-cchi!"

"Don't do that when you're in my body!" snapped Aomine.

"Listen up," said Akashi sharply. "We will be holding practice matches in the next few days. Whatever time we have left today will be spent convincing the coaches to allow all the teams to play together."

"What?" said Kise, freezing with his arms around Kuroko. "Why?"

"We will need to prove to them not only that we have swapped bodies, but also that these matches will be crucial to reverting us."

"But why?" asked Momoi. "How will these matches be of any help?"

"Everyone will attempt to defeat their respective rivals. If they pull this off, we might be able to swap back."

"But what if we don't?" asked Kise.

"I'm not gonna lose on purpose," said Aomine tersely.

"We will cross that bridge later. For now, the fact is – "

Momoi's cell erupted, drowning out the rest of Akashi's words.

"Sorry," she said apologetically. She looked at the caller ID, and her eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Is it Murasakibara-cchi?" asked Kise, tilting his head in question.

As an answer, Momoi put the call on loudspeaker.

" _Hey there!_ " greeted a chirpy voice. "Just checking in on my old pal Shin-chan! Tell him 'hi' from me, Momoi-san!"

Midorima's face darkened.

"Takao…" he scowled.

''Takao?'' said Aomine, frowning.

"Why is he calling Momo-cchi?" asked Kise in surprise.

"Anyway," Takao was going on cheerfully, "I know my dear partner hasn't said it yet, so I wanted to thank you in his stead for the _omamori,_ nanodayo! You should have bought one for me too, Momoi-san!"

"Cut him off, Momoi," ordered Midorima curtly.

Momoi exchanged a few friendly words with Takao before getting off the call.

"Oh, don't look like that, Midorin!" she said with a laugh, as a brooding aura oozed out of Midorima. "Takao-san was just worried about you."

"There was no need for him to go so far as to phone you nanodayo," said Midorima. "And like I said the last time, since when did you exchange numbers?"

Momoi covered her lips in wonderment. "Midorin… are you jealous?"

"As if nanodayo!"

"If he was so worried, why didn't he call Midorima-kun?" asked Kuroko.

"He probably knew Midorima wouldn't pick up," said Aomine, failing to stifle a yawn. "What were you saying before, Akashi?"

Akashi set his phone down on the centre of the table. "I have put together an arrangement of the teams that will be facing off against each other," he said, tapping on the screen indicatively. "For mitigation purposes, the games will be three-on-three."

"Wait a minute," spluttered Aomine, staring at the list in bewilderment. "I get why you pitted Kise against me, but how are we supposed to play when we're in this state?"

"There is a possibility that we will switch again tonight," explained Akashi. "I am hoping we will somehow go back to the way we were, but chances of that are slim. In any case, whomever you switch with, you will be playing for that person's team."

"You mean I'll have to play with that idiot?!" exclaimed Aomine.

"What?! I'll be playing with Aomine-cchi's team?" cried Kise at the same time.

Kuroko was depressed. Midorima wasn't too happy either. His impression of the renowned Uncrowned Kings had fallen somewhere to 'moderately annoying'.

Aomine ran his fingers through his hair with a groan. _And I just took that idiot up on that challenge, too…_

He straightened up suddenly.

"Hold on – there's something I haven't told you guys!"

"Something you haven't told us?" asked Kise apprehensively. He hoped it wasn't more bad news.

"Well… "Aomine scratched his cheek, looking a little uncomfortable. "I kind of told Kagami that we've switched…"

"HUH? Why would you do that?!"

"He saw through me! I didn't exactly have a choice,'' said Aomine defensively.

"But what gave you away?" demanded Momoi in horror.

"I can only imagine nanodayo," sighed Midorima.

At that moment, a little boy could be seen pointing at Midorima's rubber duck.

 _"_ Mummy! Why is that big brother with red hair playing with kiddy toys? _"_ he piped up, words carrying clearly across the restaurant.

His mother took his hand. "Hush now. It's rude to point. Come along!"

When they left, all the other diners were staring at Midorima.

Kuroko looked at Midorima with sympathy. Kise and Aomine were having a hard time muffling their laughter.

"You should have picked the snow globe," snorted Aomine, at which Kise plastered his face onto his arms.

Midorima's glare could have chilled the bone marrow. "Kise, Aomine… DROP DEAD."

"Akashi-kun, are you sure you want to let Midorin carry that thing around?" asked Momoi embarrassedly. "He's in your body, you know."

"As long as it serves the purpose," said Akashi. Given a choice though, he would rather not be anywhere near it.

"Speak no more of this nanodayo. I'll stash it away," said Midorima, stuffing the duck into his bag bad-temperedly.

"So Kagami-kun knows about the switch," said Kuroko thoughtfully. "Actually, I think it's a good thing. He might have worn the _omamori_ to bed too."

"I agree. With Kagami in the know, we now have a place to spend the night," said Akashi with a small smile.

"What?" said Midorima and Aomine.

Kuroko seemed to share the idea. "Good thinking, Akashi-kun."

"Thank goodness," sighed Kise. He would rather spend the night at Kagami's than a room full of gravure magazines.

"Midorima, take a loan from Akashi and book a motel room for us," Aomine told Midorima sharply.

"I was just thinking of doing that nanodayo," said Midorima aloofly. "But what makes you think I'll lend you a penny?"

 _"You damn megane…"_

Momoi pushed Aomine away from Midorima. "Dai-chan, Midorin, stop being silly. You make it sound like Kagami's place is a warzone."

"Which is what it will be if we're all there nanodayo," said Midorima truthfully.

"I wouldn't mind another pillow fight," said Kise enthusiastically.

At this point, Aomine turned to Akashi. "Akashi, it's time to bring out the Emperor."

"Since everyone is in agreement, I'll give Kagami-kun a call," said Kuroko, already dialing the number on his cell.

Midorima folded his arms. Resigned, Aomine kicked back on the booth seat.

"It'd be better if his place had a few porn magazines though."

"Dai-chan!"

They waited for Kagami to pick up. As the seconds stretched on, Kuroko began to think he might have to call at another time.

But Kagami finally answered.

"Kuroko?" he asked suspiciously. "Is it… you?"

"It's me, Kise," said Kuroko calmly. The others stared at him, eyebrows elevated.

" _Kise?_ " demanded Kagami in confusion. "What are you doing with Kuroko's phone?"

"That was a lie. I'm really Kuroko."

Spluttering sounds from the other end; it sounded like Kagami had choked on something.

" _K-Kuroko?_ So it's true, then? You guys really did switch bodies?"

Kise was cracking up.

"Kuroko-cchi, you're killing us," he chortled.

"Yes," Kuroko was answering Kagami solemnly. "I'm in Kise-kun's body now.''

''Damn it, Kuroko! What were you trying to pull?''

Kuroko blinked once. ''I was trying to lighten the mood.''

''What? Damn it! This is not how you do things!''

''More importantly, Kagami-kun, I have a favour to ask of you… "

"So how did it go?" asked Momoi a few minutes later, when Kuroko finally put down his phone.

"Kagami-kun has agreed to accommodate us," announced the Phantom Miracle.

"Good," said Akashi with an approving smile. "Now we can put our plan into effect."

With that out of the way, the group headed out to where Akashi's chauffeur was parked.

Kise whistled when he saw the car. "You have good taste, Akashi-cchi."

"Friends of yours, Akashi-sama?" asked the chauffeur, holding the door open for the group.

"Just some acquaintances nanodayo," said Midorima.

Momoi puffed out her cheeks, clearly not appreciating his attitude. "Midorin! Your words are sharper than your shots."

"On the contrary, Momoi, nothing is sharper than my shots."

"Midorima-cchi sounds like a big shot," teased Kise.

"Careful, Kise. He might _shoot_ you with one of his megane glares," said Aomine languidly.

"Kise, Aomine... DIE."

They piled into the car. Being 'Akashi-sama', Midorima got the front seat. The rest had to squeeze into the back.

Not that they minded; the blast of cold air from the conditioning was heaven-sent.

"Ah! This feels great," sighed Momoi happily. She had slipped in between Kuroko and Aomine. Kise had ducked in right after to steal the spot next to Kuroko, which left Akashi with one of the window seats.

"Our first stop will be Touou," said Akashi."Are you ready, Aomine?"

"Yeah," said Aomine, who had an elbow on the window sill and was staring outside almost indifferently.

"Driver, take us to Touou High nanodayo," instructed Midorima, placing his rubber duck on the dashboard _._


	22. Chapter 22

**The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kuroko – Kise

Kise - Aomine

Midorima – Akashi

Aomine – Kuroko

Murasakibara – Murasakibara

Akashi – Midorima

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **–** **Touou –**

The Touous were working on offensive drills when someone with sky-blue hair entered the gym **.**

"Kuroko?" exclaimed Wakamatsu in bewilderment. "What's he doing here again?"

Everyone stared at 'Kuroko', who had picked up a stray ball and was spinning it on his forefinger.

'Kuroko' gazed at the hoop intently. He might not be able to pull off dunks in this body, but there was more to basketball than just dunks. Kuroko's lack of stamina could be made up for by his flexible play. He supposed he had Seirin to thank for this; the morning's practice had gotten him more or less attuned to his body.

'Kuroko' stopped spinning the ball.

With explosive speed, he drove toward the hoop.

The Touous barely scrambled out of his path on time. They watched in shock as 'Kuroko' charged fiercely across the court. His shoe touched the baseline as he flew out of bounds, tossing the ball over his shoulder. It sailed over the backboard and sank cleanly through the hoop.

Paying no heed to the shocked players, Aomine proceeded to score ten consecutive formless shots.

Finally, he turned to Momoi, who had been filming the whole thing on her camera phone.

"Did you get that, Satsuki?"

Momoi flashed him a thumbs-up sign. "Yup! With this, it's mission complete!"

"Like hell it is." Aomine pushed up his fringe. His eyes found the stunned Coach, and he strode over to him purposefully. "Coach Harasawa, we need to have a talk."

…

The Touou Coach was blown over when he heard the news. Aomine had never seen him look so discomposed.

Eventually, the Coach calmed down enough to speak.

"It all makes sense now," he said, shaking his head weakly. "Wakamatsu reported to me this morning about Aomine's weird behaviour. He must have been worried that something had happened to him, but now that you've told me what _really_ went down… "

They talked for a long while. At the end, the Coach agreed to meet them in Seirin for the showdown.

"Seirin?" said Momoi in surprise. "Why Seirin?"

"Weren't you listening to Akashi just now? He said that the practice matches will be held in Tetsu's school."

"But why not do it here?"

"He said it would be more convenient for everyone to travel to Seirin. The only reason he asked us all to gather here today was because you happened to be here."

"Oh, I see…"

 _…_

"How did it go, Aomine?" asked Akashi, as soon as Momoi and Aomine climbed into the car. Judging by the phone pressed to his ear, the Rakuzan Captain was in the middle of making a call.

Aomine shrugged unconcernedly. "Could have been worse. I guess a Generation of Body-Swappers is more believable than a formless-shooting Kuroko."

"Did he agree to holding the matches?"

"Yeah… after getting over the shock."

At that moment, a cheerful voice could be heard coming from Akashi's borrowed receiver.

" _Hey, hey, hey,_ _Shin-chan!_ What does my genius partner want from his Hawk-Eye partner?"

Midorima folded his arms tightly. Akashi spoke into the phone.

"What? A private word with the Coach?" Takao laughed so hard it sounded like a cackle. "If you need advice on calming your nerves, you could always come to me, Shin-chan!"

"Die," snapped the real Midorima.

"Sshh! Midorima-cchi, you'll give us away."

Akashi's chauffeur kept shooting them puzzled looks through the rearview mirror, but no one was bothered by this.

"What else did your Coach have to say, Aomine-kun?" asked Kuroko. "I'm sure he must have had a ton of questions for you."

"Yeah, although he did mention something about what Wakamatsu reported to him this morning," said Aomine, fixing Kise with narrowed eyes. "He said that I kept referring to myself as 'Aomine-cchi', that I seemed to be high on something."

Kise seemed to have become engrossed with a cup holder. Aomine sighed.

"Aomine – I mean, Kise, quit looking at that thing. I know you heard me."

Now Kise returned his gaze with a small pout. "You shouldn't be blaming me, Aomine-cchi. Momo-cchi told us what you told her earlier. You ditched practice to buy a gravure, didn't you?"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"You almost destroyed Kuroko-cchi's image!"

"But I didn't, did I?"

"You could have tried to keep a low profile, at least!"

"It's not like I chose to be followed!"

"Please stop it, you two," said Kuroko. Whenever they switched, sparks tended to fly more often. He supposed it was only natural, especially since tensions were high before the official games. "Dissension in the ranks won't solve anything."

"By the way, Akashi-kun – is there a reason why you want only the coaches to know about the switch?" inquired Momoi.

"Yes," replied Akashi. "In any case, it will be potentially harder to convince more people about such an unbelievable phenomenon." He glanced up thoughtfully. "It looks like we have arrived. Momoi, please fire up the video."

 **–** **Shutoku –**

The Shutokus didn't react much to Akashi- and Midorima's entrance. In fact, only one of them was excited to see them.

Waving enthusiastically, Takao ran up to the Miracle pair.

"Shin-chan! You didn't tell me you were bringing your old teammate with you!"

"There is no need for me to report every detail of my life to you nanodayo," said Midorima, before Akashi could stop him.

There was a vastly uncomfortable silence. Takao blinked rapidly at Midorima.

"Huh? Akashi…?"

Midorima was glad for two things – the first was that he had left the rubber duck back in the car; the second was that Coach Naratani chosen this exact moment to approach them.

"Midorima, what's going on here?" he asked Akashi. "Why is Akashi with you?"

The Miracles led the Coach to a place where they could talk alone. Fortunately, Takao didn't follow them. Midorima's words had probably thrown him off. Midorima glanced back and saw his partner standing on the spot, scratching his head puzzledly.

Midorima must have decided that words alone weren't enough to deliver an impact, because the first thing he did was to thrust Momoi's phone straight into the Coach's face.

The Coach blinked as the video of 'Kuroko' executing the over-the-backboard shot played out.

At the end of the video, Midorima dropped his arm.

"Now do you believe we've switched?" he asked calmly.

The Coach gaped at him. "What?"

At this point, Akashi was glad that he had accompanied Midorima.

"Hold on, Midorima," he said, stepping forward. "Let's take this one step at a time."

"Yeah, let Akashi take care of this, Midorima," said an almost lazy voice.

Midorima and Akashi stared at the group that had suddenly showed up behind them.

"What are you doing here nanodayo?" demanded Midorima. "Didn't Akashi tell you to wait in the car?"

"Takao-kun saw Akashi-kun's car parked in front of the gym and came to investigate," explained Kuroko. "We had to make a break for it before he saw us."

Coach Naratani looked confused. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Take it easy, Coach," placated Aomine, "This is going to sound crazy, but our souls have been mixed up with the wrong bodies."

"Aomine, you should begin with the _omamori_ nanodayo," advised Midorima.

"No, take it from where you pulled those streetball moves," insisted Kise.

"That wouldn't make sense nanodayo."

"I think we should let Akashi-kun explain about us switching bodies first," suggested Kuroko.

"The _omamori_ are more important nanodayo."

"No, he should explain how he could make that backshot – "

"Excuse me?" said Coach Naratani, his mouth hanging open. "Could someone get to the point? What is going on?"

Akashi decided to take matters into his own hands.

"To cut a long story short," he said, "we Miracles have exchanged bodies."

The silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity.

"Exchanged… bodies?" repeated the Coach in stupefaction.

It was a good thing Akashi decided to take up the rest of the explanation, because by the end of it, the Coach looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. But more importantly, Akashi had got him convinced.

…

The group returned a half hour later, not before making sure that Takao was nowhere to be found.

"Things are going well," said Akashi. "Now we have two coaches convinced."

"Please follow these directions next, Mr Driver," said Kuroko, handing the GPS over to the chauffeur.

It was exhausting to have to travel from one school to the next. At some point, Aomine fell asleep. His head lolled on Momoi's shoulder.

Kuroko kept hearing a sharp intake of breath from his right.

"Is something wrong, Momoi-san?" he asked with concern.

Momoi shook her head profusely. She couldn't let Kuroko know how nerve-wracking it was to have his real face be so close to hers.

Evidently, Kuroko must have reached his limit, because he, too, hit the sack.

 _Tetsu-kun!_ squealed Momoi internally, when Kuroko came close to brushing her shoulder. Even if it was Kise's face, he was still adorable as a button. She thought she was going to have a heart attack.

"Kuroko-cchi, are you OK?" asked Kise, when Kuroko's head bumped his shoulder twice.

Kuroko opened his eyes groggily.

"Sorry, Kise-kun," he said, sitting up with an effort. "I'll try to stay awake."

"We are almost there, Kuroko," assured Akashi. "Have someone wake Aomine once we get there."

"It's Aomine-cchi's turn again, huh?" said Kise. "Good luck! Don't make the same mistake that Midorima-cchi did."

"Kise, don't make me drop you off in the middle of the highway nanodayo."

 **–** **Seirin –**

Kagami actually dropped the ball upon catching sight of 'Kuroko'. The other players simply looked surprised.

"If it isn't Kuroko," said Izuki. "Where have you been? You took off halfway through suicide sprints looking really sick."

 _And I don't regret it one bit,_ thought Aomine, feeling nauseous from the memory of it. Like it or not, Seirin's Coach was a monster in disguise when it came to rigorous training, and it was bound to be hell if you were doing it with Kuroko's level of stamina.

"It's not like you to be gone so long, Kuroko," observed Hyuuga, chugging down water like a sinkhole before fixing 'Kuroko' with a small frown. "Sure you're OK?"

"That's what I'd like to ask." Aida went up to the Miracle pair with a hand on her hip. "That's twice you've run off today. Does it having anything to do with Kagami-kun saying you've been feeling under the weather?"

"Well, he's not wrong," said Aomine, with a meaningful glance at Kagami. "More importantly, we need to speak to you. Off the record."

Aida blinked. "We?"

Kuroko chose that moment to speak. "Hello, Coach."

Aida and the Seirins jerked back.

 _"Kise?"_ gasped Aida. "W-When did you come in?"

"I came in with Kuroko-kun," said Kuroko bluntly. "More importantly, Coach, let's have that talk."

"Kuroko-kun?" repeated Koganei, giving Tsuchida a startled look. "Doesn't Kise usually call him Kuroko-cchi?"

Aida was nonplussed. She glanced at the Seirins, and then back at the Miracle pair.

"Alright," she said. "Let's step outside, then."

…

It turned out that Seirin's staunch Coach was the most difficult to get through to.

"This footage is doctored, isn't it?" she demanded, brandishing Momoi's phone. "It's totally doctored!"

"It hasn't been doctored, Coach," insisted Kuroko. "The five of us have swapped bodies, and we need your cooperation to let the team participate in the practice matches…"

"You two are totally having me on! Kuroko-kun, I'm surprised at you! You've been completely off-key since this morning."

At that moment, Kagami entered the scene.

"Hey," he said, staring at the trio. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Look, Kagami is in the know too," said Aomine. "Tell her, Kagami."

Aida speared Kagami with a dark scowl. "Are you in cahoots with them?"

Kagami opened his mouth to counteract, but Kuroko cut him off.

"Then please explain how you didn't notice me just now," he told Aida. "You and everyone else – even though I've been right beside Aomine-kun the whole time – none of you noticed that I was there."

"You probably snuck in when we were distracted at some point," said Aida matter-of-factly. "Do you take me for a fool?"

Kuroko puckered his brows determinedly. "Very well. Then let me go in once more, and you will see for yourself whether or not it's a lie."

With that, he walked straight back into the gym. Aida hesitated. She gave Kagami and Aomine a bewildered frown, but followed Kuroko up to the sliding doors and peeped in.

The Seirins had resumed their practice. 'Kise' was walking towards them in plain view, but not one of them batted an eye. As an open-mouthed Aida watched, he even managed to join a game for fifteen seconds before someone took notice of him.

"ACK! Kise! What the heck are you doing?"

As the Seirins rounded on Kise, Aida did the same for Kagami and Aomine.

"I don't believe it!" she cried fumingly. "Is _everyone_ in on this?"

Aomine sighed. Akashi had brought up this potential hurdle. If Aida wasn't convinced by 'Kise's' lack of presence, it was time to move on to Plan B.

"Looks like I'll have to toss down the gauntlet," he said as he strode into the gym. Looking over at Kagami, he called, "Oi Kagami! It's time for a showdown."

Kagami blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"What's that? I thought you've been dying to challenge me. Oh, I get it. You're afraid I'll beat you even if I'm in Tetsu's body, huh?"

He had hit a nerve. Fuming, Kagami stormed in after him. "As if! Let's do it."

Aida was disconcerted. So were the Seirins as they were forced to clear the way for the two aces.

"Coach, what the heck is going on?" demanded Hyuuga, as Aomine picked up a ball and stood face to face with Kagami, who had taken a defensive stance. "Why are those two suddenly having a one-on-one?"

Aida didn't reply. She was frowning as she watched the hot-headed pair facing off.

It was daunting to play in Kuroko's scrawny body. It meant that Aomine couldn't throw dunks and had to channel more strength into his movements. If Kagami were to go into Zone, Aomine couldn't see himself winning.

Kagami's eyes were narrowed in concentration. It was beyond weird to be playing against Aomine while the Touou ace was in Kuroko's body.

Aomine started dribbling faster; the ball was an orange blur as it crossed from his right hand to his left. It went between his legs and around his body so fast Kagami could hardly keep up.

For a second, Kagami was put off his stride, but he plunged in for a steal. Aomine suddenly shot forward, breaking through his defence. Kagami moved to stop him, but Aomine had already thrown the ball in with a careless sweeping motion.

Aida and the Seirins were frozen in place.

Kagami wasn't giving up yet. He turned to face Aomine. "One more time!"

But Kuroko stepped in between them.

"I think you've already gotten your point across, Aomine-kun," he said, with a nod at Aida. "And Kagami-kun, you can save this for the match tomorrow. Now isn't the time for a competition between rivals."

The old Kagami would have argued. Instead, he lifted his head.

"Fine," he said with resignation. "We'll put this on hold."

Kuroko turned to Aomine next. "Let's talk to the Coach again. I have a feeling she won't rebuff us this time."


	23. Chapter 23

**The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kuroko – Kise

Kise - Aomine

Midorima – Akashi

Aomine – Kuroko

Murasakibara – Murasakibara

Akashi – Midorima

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

Kagami's apartment was as huge as ever; not to mention still lacking in furniture.

After persuading the coaches, the Miracles had retired to Kagami's home. Nothing much had changed about it since their last visit. The silver plasma TV, the coffee table with its transparent top, the black leather couch, the small shelf standing beside the entryway door that was filled with sports magazines were all there. The only difference was that there were no longer party trimmings hanging from the ceiling.

"Man, this beats that crummy old bunk back in Teikou," sighed Aomine as he dropped down on the couch. "Kagami, I get first dibs for the spare bedroom."

"No fair, Aomine-cchi! You're the smallest now, so let someone else have the bedroom."

"I agree. Akashi-kun is the biggest of us."

"That's right! He's used to sleeping on fluffy featherbeds too."

"Not at all. I do not mind sleeping on the floor."

"Perhaps we should draw lots and leave it to fate nanodayo."

 _No need to tell them to make themselves at home,_ thought Kagami. Three seconds in and already the Miracles were having a heated debate over sleeping rights. He was glad that Murasakibara wasn't around or he'd have eaten through his fridge too.

"Alright, if you guys want to shower then we'll cast lots for that as well," he said, dropping his bag.

"You can go ahead, Kagami-kun," Kuroko told him. "We're the ones imposing on you, so it doesn't matter if we wait."

Kagami was still having trouble telling who was who; he had to rely on their style of honorifics or none thereof. So far, Aomine was the easiest to distinguish.

"I don't really mind who goes first," said Kagami with a shrug. "Just don't take your time with it."

In the end, Midorima pulled the first stick.

Aomine held up the rubber duck. "Midorima, you forgot this."

"Aomine, you would do well to sleep with your eyes open tonight," said Midorima, before slamming the bathroom door in the guffawing faces of Kise and Aomine.

After showering, they ordered pizza and got ready to turn in.

"Aside from the spare bedroom, I have an air mattress you can use," said Kagami, counting on his fingers. "That means the remaining three will have to share the couch or sleep on the floor."

"Kuroko-cchi and I will share the couch!" declared Kise, pulling Kuroko toward him.

"Praise be for that," said Aomine.

The rest of them drew lots. Everyone expected Midorima to get the bed, but Akashi was the one who won it. Aomine got the air mattress, which left Midorima with virtually the worst options.

Kagami went to bed in a wink. It seemed that playing host to the Miracles had robbed him of all his energy. Earlier on, he had slipped on Aomine's laundry and nearly broke his neck as a result. Then Kise had spilled coke all over the coffee table, which Kagami had to mop up. Lastly, Kagami himself was accidentally locked outside when he went to take out the trash. No one could hear him knocking on the front door since the door to the entryway had been shut, and he had left his cell in the apartment, so he couldn't make any calls. And to top it off, the doorbell chose that moment to get jammed. He was stuck outside for half an hour before Akashi, having noticed that his cell and wallet were still inside, let him in.

Akashi retired to the spare bedroom after helping Kagami to unstick his doorbell and saying goodnight. Aomine spread out the air mattress on the floor of the living room and sank onto it gratefully.

With the curtains drawn, it was almost pitch black.

"Kise-kun, you're too close," whispered Kuroko.

"I can't help it. I've already used up all my elbow space. Midorima-cchi, move over a little, won't you?"

"I am already on pins and needles nanodayo."

"I've never slept upright before," remarked Kuroko. "It's interesting, but rather uncomfortable."

"I'm afraid this is the first time we agree something, Kuroko."

A loud squeak made them all jump.

"Midorima-cchi, put your duck away!" yelped Kise.

"I already did nanodayo!"

''Dump it on the coffee table!''

''I refuse. With the games tomorrow, I will need all the luck I can get.''

"Will you idiots pipe down?" demanded Aomine from five feet away. "What's the problem over there?"

"We feel like sardines in a can nanodayo," said Midorima, annoyed.

"This is because you refused to sleep on the floor saying it'll mess with your sutra," fretted Kise.

"You must have used up all your luck in the previous draw, Midorima-kun," Kuroko told him.

"You should have just bathed with the duck," sighed Aomine. "Get up, Midorima. I'll take your place."

There was a sudden silence.

"Did you hear that?" whispered Kise audibly. "I think Aomine-cchi was sleep talking."

Kuroko agreed. "Aomine-kun, are you sleep talking?"

"What? No, I'm not!"

"It seems our words are capable of entering his dreams."

"I'm wide awake, you idiots!"

"But how? The Aomine-cchi we know doesn't make sacrifices for his old teammates," stated Kise.

"That's because I don't wanna be kept up all night by your incessant bickering."

"You have my gratitude nanodayo, Aomine," said Midorima. "I will be sure not to hold back at our next face-off."

"Like you ever do," said Aomine, falling onto the couch with another yawn. "Goodnight and keep your mouths zipped tight."

…

The next morning came with a terrible shock for Midorima.

The reason was that he had found himself in an entirely different room. In fact, he doubted he was in Kagami's apartment anymore, because a glance outside the window told him he was only two floors up.

Midorima leapt to his feet. After a hasty glance, he caught sight of a cellphone on the study desk.

It was extremely familiar, and Midorima froze when saw his reflection.

It couldn't be…

…

Kuroko wondered how he had ended up in Kagami's spare bedroom.

The Phantom Miracle sat up sleepily. He could have sworn he was sleeping on the couch with Kise and Aomine last night.

Intrigued, Kuroko made to walk out of the room.

Then he stopped. He squinted. He rubbed his eyes and squinted harder. He wasn't imagining it – everything was more blurry than usual. What was wrong with him?

Kuroko got out and pattered to the living room. He stared at the people sleeping on the couch. Then he drew back in shock.

Kise's body was right there. But it didn't make sense, because _he_ was the one who was supposed to be in his body.

Unless…

Kuroko shot into the bathroom. There, he got the second shock of his life.

The face he was staring at was Midorima's.

For a moment, the whole bathroom seemed to spin. It had happened again. They had been so caught up in recent events that it failed to occur to them last night that a second switch was likely to make a comeback.

Kuroko flew back to the couch. After a moment of hesitation, he gave Aomine's body a few tentative pokes.

"Aomine-kun…!"

'Aomine' woke up, looking disoriented. He cracked his neck, groaning.

"Huh? Why do I feel so stiff…? Wait a minute! What am I doing here?"

"Tell me your name," requested Kuroko.

"Huh?" 'Aomine' frowned like he didn't understand what was going on. "What are you talking about? My name is Kagami, of course!"

Kuroko remained frozen until 'Kuroko' and 'Kise' stirred.

"Who's being noisy?" groaned 'Kise', stretching long and hard.

'Kuroko's's eyelids fluttered open. He blinked, looking astonished. "What the – ?"

'Kuroko' and 'Kise's' eyes found each other. One looked stunned, while the other simply looked sleepy.

"A dream, huh?" murmured 'Kise' slowly. "Kuro-chin never appeared in my dreams before. Oh well."

And he dropped back off.

"'Kuro-chin?'" repeated Kagami slowly. At this point, he seemed to have understood what had happened.

Kagami's yell woke 'Akashi', who had been snoozing on the air mattress.

'Akashi' sat up violently.

"Be quiet already! Can't you idiots cut me some slack?" he demanded.

It took him several seconds to realise where he was.

"Huh?" he said, frowning. "That's funny. I could have sworn I switched with Midorima last night… "

Kuroko had a better grasp of the situation now.

"You're Aomine-kun, aren't you?" he asked 'Akashi'. "I'm Kuroko. It seems we have switched again."

'Akashi' mussed his hair furiously. "Oh, crap. I can't believe I totally forgot about Part Two!"

"I think we have a couple of problems, Aomine-kun," added Kuroko, with a glance at Kagami and the sleeping 'Kise'. "It seems that Kagami-kun and Murasakibara-kun have switched with us this time."

"WHAT?"

As Aomine turned white, 'Kuroko' stood up suddenly.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "How did I end up here?"

"We switched again, Kise-kun," Kuroko told him. "You are Kise-kun, aren't you?"

"Kise?" exclaimed 'Kuroko' in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm Takao!"

Kuroko, Kagami and Aomine goggled at him.

As if to add the finishing touch, 'Kagami' came bounding into the room looking extremely flustered.

"Akashi-cchi! Kuroko-cchi! Aomine-cchi! Midorima-cchi! We've been mixed up again!"

But everyone was too shocked by what 'Kuroko' had said to pay the real Kise any attention.

Kagami pointed a shaky finger at 'Kuroko.'

"Y-You're Takao? _Seriously?_ "

Kise's gaze sliced to 'Kuroko'. "Takao? As in Midorima-cchi's teammate?"

"Time out!" shouted Aomine, waving his arms. "Takao, come with me."

After showing Takao his reflection in the mirror, Kuroko had to give him credit for not freaking out on the spot.

In fact, twenty minutes and four narrative recounts later, Takao was actually tickled by the situation. He was laughing so hard they almost didn't hear the doorbell.

Kagami went to answer the door. The Miracles wondered who could be calling at this hour.

Meanwhile, Takao was still convulsing.

"Shin-chan was in Kuroko's body? Bwahahahaha!"

"This is no time to be laughing nanodayo, Takao!" yelled a black-haired figure who had just strode in with Kagami.

 _"Takao?"_ gasped everybody except Kuroko.

"I'm Midorima nanodayo," said 'Takao' shortly.

Kagami was standing beside him, looking at a loss. Takao stopped laughing at the sight of his teammate.

"Shin-chan!" he called out cheerfully. "So _you're_ the one who's in my body! What an awesome surprise!"

"I see you're as jaunty as ever nanodayo," remarked Midorima, marching over to his teammate and gazing down at him evenly. He thrust something into Takao's hand. "Your wallet and cellphone nanodayo."

"Thanks, Shin-chan!"

Midorima grimaced slightly. Having 'Kuroko' call him 'Shin-chan' in such a jolly manner was double the torment.

After filling in Midorima on everything that had happened so far, the Miracles woke Murasakibara, who was not happy to have his sleep interrupted, and was even more upset to discover that he had switched too.

"I guess this means Akashi is in Akita now nanodayo," said Midorima, turning to confront Kagami."Now… how did you come to spend the night with this thing?" he asked, lifting up Aomine's _omamori_.

Kagami scratched his head. "I guess what with all that happened yesterday, I somehow got it mixed up with Tatsuya's ring."

"You wear Muro-chin's ring to bed?" asked Murasakibara with a faint trace of amazement. "Does he wear yours to bed too?"

"That's not it," sighed Kagami. "I had a dream – a robber broke in and made off with the ring. I didn't want to risk losing it for real, which is why I've been wearing it to sleep every night."

Aomine was amused by the story. "Is this you talking or the paranoia?"

"I see. It's better to be safe than sorry," said Kuroko philosophically.

Midorima's eyes found Takao next. "And how did you get your hands on one of these?"

Takao grinned apologetically. "I kind of asked Momoi to give it to me."

"What?" exclaimed Kise. "Momo-cchi had an extra _omamori_?"

"Yup."

"When did she give it to you?" asked Kuroko.

"Yesterday. I met her near the Shutoku campus on the way home. I guess you could call it fate nanodayo!"

Aomine shut his eyes in disbelief. "Unbelievable. Has that woman been possessed by an _omamori_ demon?"

"But what irresistible force made you wear it to bed?" demanded Midorima.

Takao laughed a little embarrassedly. "Well, she was pretty reluctant to let me have it, but after some amount of persuasion she handed it over and told me not to sleep with it by any means."

"And of course, this would have made you do the exact opposite," said Midorima, burying his face in one hand. "Takao, you have made a fatal mistake nanodayo."

Takao waved a hand cheerfully. "I know, I know. But while we're at it, we might as well enjoy ourselves, right Shin-chan?"

Midorima gave up entirely. It seemed that not even a spontaneous body-swap right before the Interhigh could dampen Takao's perpetual high spirits.

"So what's our next move?" asked Kise, as Murasakibara lumbered to the kitchen in search of breakfast. "I haven't been able to contact Akashi-cchi. I wonder if he's alright."

"Ah… my phone battery must be dead," recalled Murasakibara, who came trudging back after Kagami stopped him from entering the kitchen and pillaging his foodstock. "I sometimes leave it on overnight. Maybe you can try calling Muro-chin?"

"OK. What's his number?"

"Is this really happening?" mumbled Kagami, gripping the side of the countertop tightly. Kuroko reached out to pat his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kagami-kun. As long as we don't give up, there's still a chance we can go back to the way we were."

Kise gave a sudden cheer. "Al rlright! Akashi-cchi says he's already on the way to Seirin. And once he's there, we can get on with the games! Man, I can't wait!"

"What a pain," moaned Murasakibara. "Like, why don't we hold the games in Akita?"

"Now _you're_ being a pain," interjected Aomine. "You don't have to be in them anyway. Speaking of which, does anyone know why Murasakibara only came into the swap now?"

"Actually, it would make sense that he did," said Kuroko logically. "He wore the _omamori_ with us on the first night. It might be because he wasn't thinking of anyone that he didn't switch with us the first time."

"I need to clear my head," said Kagami, straightening up and stumping to his room. "I'm gonna hit the shower."

"Poor Kagami-cchi," said Kise. "Maybe it's the fact that I'm in his body, but I kind of know how he's feeling at the moment."

"Don't we all?" pointed out Aomine.

"Hey, hey! Tell me more about it, you guys," said Takao eagerly. "I want to know what went down during the Teiko days. Did Shin-chan miss his shots when he was in Kuroko's body?"

"Those didn't count nanodayo," said Midorima immediately, invoking renewed laughter from Takao.

"Ha ha ha! Shin-chan, you're as sensitive as ever!"

"Anyway, let's decide on what we're going to have for breakfast first," said Aomine. "Midorima was right – Murasakibara's starving expression doesn't fit in with any of us."

"Mine-chin, don't make me crush you," scowled Murasakibara.


	24. Chapter 24

_Welp!_ I'm back, guys! I am so sorry for the long hiatus… My life underwent a major overhaul and so much has happened within the year itself. In fact, there was one point where I thought I had to give up on writing fanfics, so I'm really glad that hurdle's been cleared. And now that I've settled down, I can finally resume my writing!

I've also decided to revise the story a little. Nothing heavy, just a few tweaks here and there. Plus, owing to scheduling conflicts, I can't guarantee that my updates will be as regular as before, but I will try my best to work around it. Thank you so much for your patience!

...

 **The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kagami - Aomine

Kuroko – Midorima

Kise – Kagami

Takao - Kuroko

Midorima – Takao

Aomine – Akashi

Murasakibara – Kise

Akashi – Murasakibara

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

When Akashi called to say he'd be arriving at Seirin soon, Kagami, Takao and the Miracles got ready to leave Kagami's place.

Coincidentally, both parties bumped into each other on the school grounds.

Everyone was glad to see Akashi, but Kagami went pale when he saw who was accompanying the Rakuzan Captain.

" _Tatsuya?_ " he spluttered. "Not you too!"

Himuro smiled. "Hello, Taiga. So you're Aomine."

"I told Himuro everything," said Akashi by way of explanation. "Since we need three members from Yosen, I thought I would borrow his assistance."

"Eh? But Mine-chin said I could pass on this," protested Murasakibara unhappily.

"I would appreciate your help in this, Murasakibara. Besides, it will only be for today."

Murasakibara gave a childlike pout. "Fine..."

"Don't worry, Atsushi. I'll treat you to an all-you-can-eat buffet when this is over," promised Himuro.

Murasakibara's face lit up. "Really?"

"But only after you've swapped back. I recall that your friend Kise is a model."

"He's not my friend. Especially not after what you just said."

"You're awful, Murasakibara-cchi!" exclaimed Kise, upset. "Aomine-cchi is right; the shortest way to your heart really is through your stomach."

"You're pretty dense to be realising this now," remarked Aomine.

Kise buried his face in Kuroko's shirt. "Kuroko-cchi, everyone is always mean to me!"

"Don't worry about it, Kise-kun. Take it as a warm-up for the practice matches."

"If there are no further clarifications, then let us proceed," announced Akashi. They were already tardy from waiting for the Rakuzan Captain to arrive.

"Kagami-kun, you don't look so good," remarked Kuroko.

Kagami didn't reply. His face resembled the undead as he trudged into the gym with the rest of the group.

…

Other than Momoi and the coaches, two members from every team were there. Seirin were the majority, including Hyuuga, Izuki, Koganei, Mitobe and Tsuchida, Hayakama and Kasamatsu from Kaijo and Wakamatsu and Sakurai from Touou. Since Midorima and Takao were already present, only one member from Shutoku had turned up – Miyaji. Mibuchi, Hayama and Nebuya from Rakuzan also showed. Akashi, Midorima and Himuro would form the Yosen team.

The teams appeared confused about being suddenly made to show up in Seirin and participate in practice games. When the swappers arrived, Momoi came running to them.

"You're late!" she told them off. "Everyone's waiting. Now tell me – which one of you is Tetsu-kun?"

Aomine jerked his thumb at the real Midorima.

Momoi flew into the Miracle as the others went ahead, and Takao lost it.

As Akashi filled in the coaches on the latest swap, Miyaji and the Touous spotted Momoi and Midorima.

"Momoi, what are you doing?" gasped Sakurai, turning red. To them, it looked like Momoi was embracing Takao.

Miyaji stormed toward Midorima. "Takao! This isn't the time to be hugging girls!"

Takao stopped laughing at once. "Uh oh, it's Miyaji-senpai! Let's get out of his range, Shin-chan."

Momoi let go of Midorima at once. "You're not Tetsu-kun?!"

"It should have been obvious nanodayo," said Midorima, showing her the rolling pin he was carrying.

Momoi was steaming. "Aomine-kun! I bet it was him!"

"Anyway, Momoi, sorry for badgering you to give me one of your _omamori_ and not listening to your advice about not sleeping with it," said Takao brightly, not looking the least bit sorry.

Momoi wagged a finger. "Well, what's done is done. I shouldn't have bought a whole bunch for the Touous anyway."

Meanwhile, Miyaji was dragging Midorima over to the Shutokus' spot.

"Wait, Miyaji," said Coach Nakatani, stopping him. "Mido – I mean, Takao won't be playing with us."

"What?"

"I want to use these games as an opportunity to work on his skills. As it is, Takao will be playing with the Yosens, and Kuroko will take his place."

Miyaji was flummoxed.

"Work on his skills? With the Yosens? And Kuroko will take his place?" he frowned. "No offence, Coach, but I can't draw the connection."

Coach Nakatani looked toward the court. "Trust me. This is the best way for everyone."

"Kasamatsu-senpai! What are you doing here?" Kise greeted his former Captain with undisguised enthusiasm.

Kasamatsu looked round in alarm. "Kagami?"

The sight of a cheery version of himself jolted Kagami back to his senses.

" _Ah!_ " The Seirin ace raced to the scene and pulled Kise back violently, as though afraid that Kise might plant a kiss on Kasamatsu. "Kise, you idiot!"

Hayakama and Kasamatsu gawked at 'Kagami', who broke free of 'Aomine's' grip.

"Kagami-cchi! You almost had me on my back," groaned Kise.

"And you almost gave me a heart attack! Have you forgotten who you are?"

Akashi and Murasakibara appeared at that instant.

"There you are," said Kasamatsu, upon sighting Murasakibara. He went up to the Miracle, though not before giving Kise and Kagami a backward glance. "It's been a while, Kise. How have you been?"

Akashi nudged Murasakibara discreetly. Murasakibara blinked.

"Oh, right… " he drawled, finally meeting Kasamatsu's eyes. "I'm fine."

He and Kasamatsu looked at each other for a long time.

"So… " said Akashi, when Murasakibara gave no further inclination to speak, and Kasamatsu began to grow puzzled, "what brings you here, Kasamatsu-san? I thought you retired."

Kasamatsu tore his eyes away from Murasakibara. Right in time too, because the Yosen ace chose that moment to yawn conspicuously.

"Yeah," answered the former Kaijo Captain. "Coach Takeuchi rang up yesterday asking for a favour. Said he needed me to participate in some practice games. Apparently he wanted a senior player in the match. He didn't say why, but college has been taking a toll and I've been wanting a distraction, so here I am. "

It was in fact Midorima who had called the Coach in place of Akashi, asking him to put Kasamatsu in the games. Akashi needed someone whom Kise was close to.

At the moment, the Kaijo ace seemed dejected.

"How are you, senpai?" he asked Kasamatsu, trying to appear neutral.

Again, Kasamatsu threw him a bemused look. "I'm good, thanks." He wondered why 'Kagami' looked so despondent, especially since he was all smiles just a minute ago.

Murasakibara began to walk away. Kasamatsu appeared startled by 'Kise's' indifference.

Slightly panicked, Kise yanked Murasakibara back.

"Say something to him, won't you, Murasakibara-cchi?" he whispered to Murasakibara reproachfully. "I haven't seen my senpai since he graduated! Act a little more friendly at least."

Murasakibara eyed him thoughtfully. "Promise to buy me ten maiubo sticks if I do?"

"What? Oh, all right! It's a deal."

At once, Murasakibara's eyes lit up. He turned to Kasamatsu and smiled at him.

"Good to see you, senpai. Let's do our best in the games."

Kasamatsu's expression cleared by several degrees. He nodded, smiling grimly.

"Of course. Let's knock them out."

Kise looked happier now. He bid Kasamatsu and Hayakama a cheerful, "See ya!" and ran off to join the Seirins.

"Well, that was odd," remarked Kasamatsu, staring after 'Kagami's' retreating back.

"Hey, Ta – I mean, Kuroko-cchi! Come here!" Kise called out to Takao.

The Seirins almost fell over. _Kuroko-cchi?_

"Oops. Looks like I'm wanted," said Takao. "See you later, _Takao-kun!_ " he addressed Midorima before running off.

"Wait, Kagami-kun!" said Aida to Kise hastily, getting up from the bench. "Akashi said that… Kuroko-kun… won't be playing with us, didn't he?"

"Oh, that's right. Akashi-cchi did mention it just now…"

Hyuuga frowned. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Because Kuroko wants to take his Misdirection up a notch, I've agreed with Coach Nakatani to have him play with Shutoku," explained Aida.

"WHAT? Are you kidding me? How will playing with Shutoku help him?"

"It won't be for nothing," promised Aida, but Hyuuga was thoroughly unconvinced.

"I don't get what's going on either," said Izuki, trudging up to them with a look of confusion. "First Takao will be playing with Yosen, and now Kuroko is playing with Shutoku? Is this why all the teams have amassed here today? And why were you and the coaches talking with Murasakibara just now?"

"Uh… that is … "

Aida hesitated. She couldn't say that Murasakibara – who was really Akashi – had broken them up so that the Miracles would be playing with different teams. As she struggled for words to explain, Takao arrived.

"Yo! What's up, Seirin?" he greeted brightly.

The Seirins stared at him.

"Kuroko, did something good happen?" asked Izuki in surprise. "You're awfully chipper today."

"What are you talking about? I'm always in a good mood!"

"Sorry, Kuroko-cchi! I forgot that you're playing with Shutoku today," said Kise with an embarrassed laugh.

"Really?" said Takao ecstatically. "Awesome!"

The Seirins were shooting them confounded looks. Aida glared silently at Kise and Takao, as if to remind them of who they were.

Getting the message, Takao left with a cheerful, "Play you soon, Kagami- _kun_!" as Kise waved back at him.

"Coach, are you sure the stress hasn't gotten to them?" Hyuuga whispered to Aida uneasily. "They're acting beyond weird."

Aida grimaced. _Those idiots…_

Itching for the games to start, Aomine had taken to wandering the gym when a voice made him stiffen.

"Sei-chan! Where did you run off to yesterday?"

It wass the Rakuzans. He didn't know them all that well, but the impression he had was of a peppy team – the kind he mixed with as well as oil and water.

"Hm? Where's the ugly duckling?" asked Hayama curiously, noting the absence of Midorima's rubber duck.

"You're not going to talk weird again, are you, Akashi?" questioned Nebuya suspiciously.

"I don't know what you mean," muttered Aomine, feeling like Midorima had just passed down his legacy to him. He supposed he should count himself lucky to be playing with the famous Uncrowned Kings.

The Rakuzans exchanged significant looks.

"Akashi, you don't have to hide it from us you know," said Hayama.

"Huh?"

"We know that you've switched," said Mibuchi seriously.

Aomine couldn't believe his ears. Had Akashi confided in his teammates?

Aomine's expression seemed to convince them, because Nebuya nodded solemnly and said, "I thought so. You're the other Akashi, aren't you?"

Aomine resisted the urge to drop his head. _I should have seen this coming._

He didn't want to lie, so he settled for a compromise. "Yeah, you're right. I have switched." _With your Captain._

"Well, that's that!" said Hayama with sudden cheerfulness. "Let's go return the debt Seirin paid us last winter!"

Takao jogged up to Miyaji with a cheerful smile. "Hey, senpai! Looks like we'll be on the same team today."

"Yeah," said Miyaji, giving Takao a doubtful look. Was this really Kuroko? He was different than Miyaji remembered.

The Shutoku Captain looked around. "Speaking of which, where did Midorima go?"

He jerked when 'Midorima' suddenly appeared beside him.

"I'm here."

"Whoa," said Miyaji, blinking. "Don't just pop up like that."

"I'm sorry."

 _Huh?_ Miyaji blinked again. _Did he just apologise?_

The coaches were quiet and unusually sombre. The first game was Seirin versus Rakuzan, meaning that Kise and Aomine were playing against each other.

As the members stepped onto the court, Akashi had his own advice for the Miracles.

"Play as if you were in your own bodies," he told them. "No matter what happens, do not deviate from your styles."

"Got it," said Aomine at the same time that Kise said, "Yes, sir!"

"Why are they taking orders from Murasakibara?" asked Mibuchi puzzledly.

Hayama shrugged. "Beats me."

 _Without Teppei, our inside is more vulnerable. We'll need Kagami to hold our defence,_ thought Hyuuga, studying the Rakuzans intently.

Kise and Nebuya faced each other in the opening tip. Kise was glad he was in Kagami's body, because Nebuya looked like he'd put on another five tons of muscle since last winter.

"Yo! Long time no see, Kagami," boomed Nebuya, pounding his fists together. "I never thought we'd be facing each other until the Interhigh."

 _I'm sure Kagami-cchi would say the same,_ thought Kise.

"Still, I'm glad we're playing today," Nebuya continued with a grin. "Now we can crush you twice!"

 _Yeah, but sorry. You're not my enemy today._ Kise's eyes met Aomine's. As long as he could beat Aomine, he would be able to return to his body. Nothing else took higher precedence.

The referee tossed up the ball. Kise and Nebuya leapt.

Nebuya was no amateur when it came to aerial battles, so it surprised Kise how easily he got the ball. He had pushed off with his usual strength, but he was above Nebuya before he could blink.

Aida's plan had been for Kise to grab the first ball so they could steal a fast break. As soon as Kise hit the ground, he was racing for the basket.

As expected, Aomine intercepted him before he could even reach the paint.

"There's just one thing I don't get," said Aomine, catching Kise off-guard. "If you're supposed to defeat me, why didn't Akashi make us play one-on-one instead?"

Kise smiled as he bounced the ball. "I won't claim to know what he's planning either, but I trust him to help us find our way back."

He threw the ball to Hyuuga, who caught it and transitioned into a fadeaway so fast Mibuchi failed to block him.

Just like that, Seirin grabbed its first three points.

Aomine straightened up. "Not bad."

"I'm not holding out on you," said Kise. "I'll make it so that you won't have a chance to win without team play, Aomine-cchi!"

"Kagami, why are you calling Akashi 'Aomine-cchi?" asked Izuki abruptly.

Once more, Kise was caught off-guard. "Huh?" he said blankly. "Oh… I just felt like doing it."

"'Felt like doing it?'" repeated Izuki. He and Hyuuga looked at each other with identical puzzled expressions.

 _Uh oh,_ thought Kise. _Should I get into character? But Akashi-cchi told me to play like myself. There's no point in lying low, right?_

Izuki had the ball next. He was having trouble though, with Aomine marking him. Kise had Nebuya on him, and Hyuuga was occupied with Mibuchi, so passing might be a bad option.

Before Izuki could make his choice, the ball was knocked out of his hands, and Aomine was running with it. At once, Nebuya and Kise positioned themselves below the net. Kise now understood how much trouble Seirin's previous center had defending Nebuya in the Winter Cup finals. The guy must weigh about the same as Mt Fuji.

Doing what Kagami had done in the Yosen game against Okamura, Kise lowered himself so that his center of gravity had an advantage. Just as Aomine leapt, Kise broke free of Nebuya's confinement and jumped.

Despite the late take-off, Kise was now a foot higher than Aomine. He was about to whack the ball out of his hands when Aomine lowered it. With the ball on his right hand, he brought it around Kise and flicked his wrist. Just like that, the ball made it past Kise and dropped through the basket.

Hyuuga and Izuki were stunned.

"What was that?" gasped Hyuuga.

"You've gotta be kidding me," breathed Izuki. "That shot was just like one of Aomine's!"

"That's our Captain for you!" cheered Nebuya.

 _Whoa… that was close,_ thought Aomine, staring at his hand. _That shot felt a little off.. I guess I haven't had time to adjust to Akashi's body._

Kise was frustrated. _And I almost had it, too_. He should have known normal plays weren't going to work on the Touou Ace.

"Senpai, please let me mark Akashi," he requested of Hyuuga.

Hyuuga nodded. "OK. You're the only one who can handle Akashi anyway. I'll take on Nebuya."

The Seirin Captain regretted his words when he took up position next to Nebuya. The Uncrowned King was six feet of pure muscle.

 _It reeks to say it, but I sure wish Kiyoshi were here_.

"Changing marks already?" said Mibuchi to Izuki. "I suppose we're doing a good job applying pressure."

"And you seem to have forgotten we're a team that works well under pressure," said Izuki. "It's a pleasure for us. There it is!"

"Enough with the puns, Izuki!" snapped Hyuuga.


	25. Chapter 25

**The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kagami - Aomine

Kuroko – Midorima

Kise – Kagami

Takao - Kuroko

Midorima – Takao

Aomine – Akashi

Murasakibara – Kise

Akashi – Murasakibara

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

Kise worked to keep up with Aomine, who had broke out his streetball moves. Aomine cut through after a quick turnaround, but Kise caught up again. Not giving up, he Copied Aomine's moves and managed to swipe the ball.

Hyuuga and Izuki were slack-jawed.

"Since when did Kagami get so good at streetball?" exclaimed Koganei. The other Seirins were leaning forward in their shock.

Kise dribbled with lightning speed. Nebuya was waiting for him under the hoop, but Kise ducked around him and jumped with all his might.

 _Crash._

Kise had jumped with more power than he'd planned to; he wobbled a little, but managed to slam the ball in before dropping down.

"Nice one, Kagami!" yelled Koganei.

"Sei-chan, isn't it about time you pulled out your ankle breaks?" asked Mibuchi.

Aomine grunted. They weren't playing too badly, but somehow, it didn't feel the same without the Touous.

"Mine-chin is being odd," noted Murasakibara, watching from the sidelines with Himuro and Akashi.

"He is?" said Himuro in surprise. "Granted, his team is currently behind, but he seems to be doing fine."

Akashi was silent. Murasakibara glanced at him.

"Aka-chin, are you sure about this?"

Akashi nodded, not taking his eyes off the game. "He is starting to realise it."

Murasakibara crunched on the apple Himuro had given him. He chewed thoughtfully. Swallowed.

"But if Kise-chin doesn't realise it, there won't be a point to this, right Aka-chin?"

Akashi smiled. "Yes. He wants to beat Aomine, after all. And Aomine wants to beat Kuroko and Kagami."

"Am I missing something?" asked Himuro curiously.

"Don't you get it, Muro-chin?" said Murasakibara languidly. "They want to beat each other, but instead, they became each other."

Himuro pondered his words. "I see. So you think they lack confidence?"

"And playing with their opponents will make them realise how important they are to their own teams," said Akashi. "They might not be aware of it, but deep down, a part of them has changed after suffering from individual losses. Kise lost to Aomine and in doing so, lost confidence in himself. He wants to beat Aomine in order to regain that confidence. These games are meant to show them that there is more to them than they believe. If my theory is right, once they regain their confidence, we will be able to revert back."

Himuro gave a small laugh. "Well, what's astounding is how Atsushi is able to understand all of this."

"There's nothing astounding about it," yawned Murasakibara. "I just want to go back to my life."

…

Kise strode up to Aomine. Aomine thought he wanted to gloat about his steal, but –

"Aomine-cchi, you totally held back on me!"

"Huh?" exclaimed Aomine, taken aback. "Who the hell told you that?"

"You let me steal the ball on purpose!"

"Don't be stupid. I just haven't had time to adjust yet."

"Well, neither have I!"

"You and that idiot share the same specs. Of course it'd be a breeze for you!"

"Why the heck does Kagami keep calling Akashi 'Aomine-cchi?" Hyuuga asked Izuki in bewilderment.

 _Those idiots,_ sighed Midorima. Everyone in the gym was gaping at the bickering Miracles.

Kuroko walked up to the pair, unseen until he was right in front of them.

"Please stop fighting you two," he pacified. "If you want to fight, settle it with basketball."

"Shin-chan's so cool!" laughed Takao. Midorima shot him a scowl.

Kise looked at Kuroko in surprise. "Kuroko-cchi! Why are you here?"

"Aomine-kun would never hold back on you, Kise-kun," Kuroko assured him. "I know you two are giving it your best, so please stop worrying about it."

"What he said," said Aomine.

Kise's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Kuroko-cchi!" he cried, flying into Kuroko. To the others, it looked like Kagami was flying into Midorima.

"That idiot!" yelled Kagami furiously, springing to his feet. Wakamatsu and Sakurai, who were seated with him, stared in shock.

Meanwhile, Midorima looked ready to clobber Kise with his lucky item. Hyuuga and Izuki were staring at Kise with their mouths open.

"Kaga…mi?" uttered Hyuuga faintly.

It was Aomine who wrenched them apart.

"You moron, Kise," he snapped. "Quit hugging Tetsu every chance you get. It's a wonder I'm even taking you seriously. Besides, what if you spread your germs to him?"

"Germs?" said Kise uncomprehendingly.

"Yeah. Your copycat germs."

"Copycat germs?!"

"Uh… what's going on?" questioned Izuki. "Midorima, what are you doing here?"

Kuroko bowed slightly. "Sorry for interrupting the match. I'll take my leave now."

Saying so, he left the court and its four flabbergasted occupants.

...

The Seirins were still staring at Kise as though he'd sprouted horns.

Feeling self-conscious, Kise wondered if it had been a good idea for Akashi to let them play their own styles in front of everyone. He had to have a compelling reason for doing so, because Kise felt like he'd been put under a spotlight.

"Kagami… are you in the Zone?" demanded Hyuuga.

"Zone?" repeated Kise blankly. What did hugging Kuroko have to do with being in the Zone?

"You just emulated Aomine's streetball moves!" pointed out Izuki.

 _Oh, they're referring to_ that.

"It was just a cheap imitation," said Kise, trying to make the situation less senseless. On the inside, he thought tearfully, _I just called my Copying skills a cheap imitation…_

As gloominess fell over Kise, Hyuuga and Izuki stared at each other.

"Should we call for a time-out?" suggested Izuki uncertainly.

Hyuuga sighed.

"No need," said the captain. "Forget it. The Coach has already been through this."

The coaches had instructed their players to gloss over any funny behaviour today. But no one had expected this level of weirdness.

In the meantime, Hyuuga considered changing marks again.

"Kagami, I think you should take Nebuya," he told Kise. "Izuki should be able to put up a fight even against Akashi, and I can stop Mibuchi's special shots."

Kise was horrified.

"I wanna mark Akashi-cchi!" he protested. "Let me handle him, senpai! It's a matter of life and death!"

The Seirins stared at him.

"Then… I guess I'll sub with Mitobe," relented Izuki.

The Rakuzans eyed the retreating Eagle-Eyed third year.

"My, oh my. After all that talk about working well under pressure too," tutted Mibuchi.

"I think he just wanted to deliver a pun," muttered Hyuuga.

"Finally," sighed Aomine. "Let's get on with this."

They were almost into halftime of the two-quarter long game. Kise glanced at the clock.

Aomine caught him looking.

"Planning to bring out your secret weapon?" surmised the Touou ace.

Kise returned the smile. "Rest easy while you can, _Akashi-cchi._ The next half is when the real pain begins."

Aomine grinned. "Bring it on, _Kagami._ "

As the teams got ready for the next possession, Mibuchi had a jab for Hyuuga.

"You may have seen through my shots the last time, Junpei-chan, but I've been honing my speed since then. Let's see if you can catch up."

Hyuuga grimaced. Was he ever going to stop calling him 'Junpei-chan'?

"Knock 'em flat, you guys!" shouted Hayama to his teammates.

"Don't let them catch up, Kagami, Hyuuga, Mitobe!" shouted the Seirins at the same time.

 _I sure wish Kasamatsu-senpai and Hayakawa were cheering for me too,_ thought Kise with a wistful glance at the Kaijos. He shook his head. _No! I have to focus on the game._

The ball was thrown. Kise leapt, but Aomine stayed on the ground.

 _He's not going for the ball?_ thought Kise, startled. _Or… since I have the vertical advantage, he's waiting for a chance to steal it?_

 _Not gonna happen!_

Kise grabbed the ball, tossing it to Hyuuga a second before he touched the ground. Hyuuga caught the pass and moved quickly into Barrier Jumper.

Mibuchi hadn't been lying – his attack came swifter than expected. The clutch-shooter launched the ball, but not before Mibuchi got a finger on it.

"Rebound!" yelled Hyuuga.

Mitobe and Nebuya leapt as one. Nebuya managed to push Mitobe out, grabbing the ball for his own and making a quick pass to Aomine.

Aomine drove to the hoop. Kise was on his heels. And then the Kaijo ace skirted around, blocking Aomine's path.

"Break his ankles, Akashi-kun!" shouted Hayama from the sidelines.

 _Is that all they can think about?_ scowled Aomine.

In the split second pause, Aomine assessed his opponent. As long as Perfect Copy wasn't activated yet, Kise didn't stand a chance against him. Not unless he let down his guard.

Putting strength into his footwork, Aomine lured Kise to the right with a fake and then cut through the now open lane with a speedy dribble.

Kise lost Aomine there, but he fell back to the chase. However, Aomine had already scored a formless shot.

"I'm not letting this body-swap business get in the way of my play," Aomine told Kise out of earshot of the others.

A little frustrated, Kise smiled nonetheless. "I expected no less from you."

"You were wide open back there, Akashi. It would have been easier to score a lay-up," Nebuya advised Aomine at the next possession.

"Huh?" Aomine had no clue what his 'teammate' was talking about. "What does it matter? Any shot is easy to me."

"Sei-chan is the absolute," said Mibuchi with a note of elegant pride.

"Aomine-cchi, they seem to think you're Akashi's Emperor persona," Kise told Aomine in low tones.

Aomine scowled at the reminder. "I know, dammit! Quit talking about that."

The first half ended with Seirin in the lead by four points. After the short break, the ballers moved onto the court again.

Aomine flexed his fingers. _If Akashi's body wasn't so different from mine, I could have scored more points. But I think I'm starting to get the feel of it now._

Kise had grown silent. Even Mibuchi and Nebuya noticed.

"Seems Kagami is about to go all in," observed Mibuchi. "I wonder why Sei-chan hasn't been breaking any ankles."

"He's a little grouchy today, huh?" remarked Nebuya. "In fact, do the other Miracles seem different to you?"

"Oh, yes. Shintarou-chan even gave us an apology earlier," recalled Mibuchi. "How unlike him. But I do hope we get to play him soon. I want to see what goes on behind those High Projectile Threes."

No sooner had he said it than Kise, whose team was starting the possession, came in with the ball, eyes blazing with determination.

Aomine was on him in a flash. But Kise seemed to have anticipated this, because next moment he was in the air. The ball soared in a high arc before plunging into the basket.

"What the – ?" Kasamatsu leapt to his feet, eyes bulging. _Did Kagami just land a – ?_

 _So he's finally doing it,_ thought Aomine with a grin. Kise dashed the sweat off his face and smiled back in an almost taunting way.

"I'm gonna beat you and get my body back no matter what it takes!" he told Aomine.

Hyuuga was floored. _Did Kagami just pull off a half-court three?_

 _He's combining my agility with Midorima's shooting range just like in the Winter Cup quarter finals,_ thought Aomine. _Plus, Kagami's crazy hops are giving him an edge. I couldn't ask for more!_

The Touou ace was fired up. At the next possession, Kise appeared in his path as he was driving toward the basket. Instead of stopping, Aomine crossed over and broke past the Kaijo ace. A split second later, Kise was back on him. Aomine crossed the ball over again, but this time he followed up with a quick wide step left, paving the way for an open shot.

He would have scored if he'd jumped higher. Instead, Kise shot up in front of him and knocked the ball out of his hands.

Mitobe got the rebound this time. Already outside the free throw lane, Kise caught the pass and scored another three on the spot.

Hyuuga was so stunned he forgot to move.

"Kagami…?" he said faintly.

Even the Rakuzans were amazed. "Since when was Kagami such an ace shooter?" exclaimed Nebuya. "He didn't even graze the rim!"

 _Tch._ Aomine cursed silently. _Guess I need more time after all…_

As Kise got his breath back, he watched the Touou ace silently. If Aomine had been in his real body, he would have landed the shot before Kise could block it.

Not that Kise was going to let up his pace. His body, as well as his prospects for the Interhigh, was at stake.

Next possession, Aomine shot toward the net again. He feinted Kise with a crossover before ducking round. Before Kise could regain his bearings, Aomine tossed the ball in almost carelessly.

 _Well, at least I'm scoring somewhat,_ thought Aomine grudgingly. His disability to make one hundred percent of his shots was throwing him off his game.

Seirin was now leading by seven points. Instead of dribbling, Kise passed the ball to Hyuuga. Caught off his guard, Hyuuga's take-off came a little late. Mibuchi was already in the air, about to deny his shot.

Knowing he couldn't make it, Hyuuga returned the ball to Kise, who was already running, Aomine on his tail. But rather than catching the pass, Aomine saw Kise raise his arm, palm facing out.

The familiar technique got Mitobe moving on instinct. Darting around suddenly, he managed to shove Nebuya behind him as Kise launched the ball with an Ignite Pass.

Mitobe caught the pass before the stunned Nebuya could react, and the Seirin centre scored with a heavy throwdown.

Hyuuga had no more room for thought.

 _I must be dreaming…_ he thought dazedly. _Since when did Kagami get this good…?_

"Sei-chan!" said Mibuchi unhappily. "You're being outplayed by Kagami. Are you just gonna let this happen?"

"Yeah! What happened to breaking their ankles?" agreed Nebuya.

"Damn it. Enough with the ankle breaks," groaned Aomine. For some reason, the faces of the other Touou players surfaced in his mind. His team probably wouldn't be doing so badly if he was playing with his real teammates.

Much to Aomine's disdain, he somehow missed the next couple of shots. This bought Seirin four more points.

At last, they were down to the last moments.

Aomine was tight on Kise. As the Kaijo ace wound up for another half-court three, Aomine timed his jump down to a T, but what he didn't expect was that Kise had combined Hyuuga's Barrier Jump with Midorima's three. The Kaijo ace skirted Aomine's defence and sank a three right as the buzzer sounded.

"Game over!" shouted Aida amidst the Seirins' cheers. "Seirin wins!"

Rakuzan had lost by five points. Acknowledging their defeat, Mibuchi and Nebuya went to rejoin Hayama, who slapped them on the backs in a show of good cheer.

But Hyuuga was too bemused to feel happy.

"Good job, everyone," he said, sounding tired as he walked away.

Sighing, Aomine began to make his way off the court. _At least I'm not the only one who's mentally drained._

"Aomine-cchi!"

Aomine looked round. Kise had followed him. The Kaijo ace gazed at him, no longer smiling.

"That wasn't an official match," he said. "I mean, obviously, since it's a practice game and there were only six players, but what I mean is – "

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Aomine slugged him on the back, making Kise yelp. "Well, on the bright side, we're one step down from getting our bodies back."

A small smile formed on Kise's face.

"Yeah!"

"You did well, Aomine-kun," said Kuroko, causing both of them to jerk.

"Kuroko-cchi! You scared us," laughed Kise. Then he frowned. "Wait… aren't you going to congratulate me too?"

"Kise-kun did well too," agreed Kuroko. "Don't worry about the loss, Aomine-kun. I'm sure you can beat Kise-kun once we've switched back."

"That was mean, Kuroko-cchi! You can at least have more faith in me," pouted Kise.

Aomine grinned and threw an arm around Kuroko. "Way to go, Tetsu! You make looking at Midorima's stuffy face more tolerable."

"I heard that nanodayo!" said Midorima irritably from the benches, followed shortly by the sound of Takao's guffaws.


	26. Chapter 26

**The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kagami - Aomine

Kuroko – Midorima

Kise – Kagami

Takao - Kuroko

Midorima – Takao

Aomine – Akashi

Murasakibara – Kise

Akashi – Murasakibara

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

"By the way Takao, what's that in your hand?" asked Miyaji, staring at the the rolling pin Midorima was carrying.

"It's Midorima's lucky item nanodayo," answered Midorima curtly. "I'm hanging on to it for him."

"Isn't he a great guy?" grinned Takao, leaning his arm on Midorima's shoulder.

Miyaji, the Kaijos and the Touous, who were seated nearby, stared at them funny.

"Takao, why are you talking like Midorima?" demanded Miyaji. "And Kuroko, what are you hanging around here for? Shouldn't you have been cheering for your team?"

"I'm with you guys today," pointed out Takao. "Shin-chan – I mean, _Takao-kun_ is the one who's supposed to be sitting with Yosen. Right?"

"I'll be with them whenever nanodayo," replied Midorima curtly.

"Come on! You can't fool me, Takao-kun," chortled Takao. "if you wanna be with us you can just say so."

"Don't be ridiculous nanodayo."

"By the way," Takao suddenly lowered his voice, looking serious, "who was in your body yesterday, Shin-chan?"

"It was Akashi nanodayo."

"Seriously? I wouldn't have guessed it!"

"Why? What did he do?" questioned Midorima with a frown.

"He totally acted like you! He put on this tsundere behaviour and told me stuff like, 'Be quiet, Takao! Stop spreading lies, Takao.' He even said his lucky item was a T-shirt."

 _Akashi… you are a man to be feared nanodayo,_ reflected Midorima. Out loud, he scowled at Takao. "And what do you mean by 'tsundere'?"

Takao nudged Midorima in the ribs. "Stop worrying, Shin-chan. Akashi-kun did a good job mimicking you. It even had _me_ fooled."

"Kuroko, since when were you and Takao so chummy?" asked Miyaji with suspicion.

As Midorima's expression darkened, six paces away Kagami was engulfed in dread.

Wakamatsu and Sakurai kept throwing Kagami looks. They had never seen 'Aomine' this depressed before.

Kagami didn't heed his confused 'teammates'; he was too busy imagining what would happen if they didn't get back to their bodies by the time the preliminary games arrived.

"Look alive, Aomine," Akashi, who was standing near the corner with Murasakibara and Himuro, told him. "You and Kaijo are up next."

Kagami was thrown off for a moment "Huh?"

"Oh, so Kagami's the one I'm going up against," noted Murasakibara, eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he didn't look so sleepy anymore. Akashi glanced at the Miracle. As he had guessed, pitting Kagami against Murasakibara had gotten the Yosen ace fired up.

"Kagami? I thought he just said Aomine," frowned Wakamatsu, looking from Kagami to Murasakibara in confusion.

Murasakibara didn't seem to hear him.

"I'm definitely going to beat you this time," he told Kagami in babyish-hostile tones. He was clearly still nursing a grudge from their last match.

Murasakibara's antagonism distracted Kagami from darker thoughts. He returned Murasakibara's gaze levelly.

"Yeah. Same to you."

 _"_ _Arf, arf!"_

Kagami almost tumbled off the bench. Nigou, Seirin's canine mascot, had scampered up to him, wagging his tail happily.

Kagami gripped the bench tightly, watching the dog with fearful eyes.

"S-Stop! Get away from me!"

Nigou answered with a few cheerful barks.

"Aomine-kun…?" asked Sakurai puzzledly, but Kagami had leapt to his feet and run to the back of the gym, followed closely by the excited dog.

Miyaji and the Touous had their mouths open. It took everyone else in the gym a moment to realise what was happening. Aomine stopped in the middle of hydrating to goggle at the chase.

 _Uh oh…_ thought Kuroko. It wouldn't be good if everybody bore witness to a panicked Aomine being chased by a cute puppy.

"Aomine-cchi is afraid of dogs?" asked Kise, who had also paused in his surprise.

"Why are you of all people misunderstanding this?" demanded Aomine.

Nigou had Kagami backed up against a corner. Despite Kagami's futile attempts to shoo him away, the dog was getting closer and closer.

As Kagami prepared for the worse, Kuroko stepped in and picked up the dog.

"You shouldn't be wandering around, Nigou," he told the puppy off gently.

Nigou licked his face, prompting a smile from the Phantom Miracle.

When Kuroko looked up, Takao was pointing his phone at him.

"Say 'cheese nanodayo', Shin-chan!"

"TAKAO!" yelled Midorima from across the court. The Shutoku ace marched toward Takao angrily, drawing all eyes to him.

"Why did Takao just yell out his own name?" Mibuchi asked Nebuya puzzledly. "And since when was Touou's ace afraid of puppies?"

"Well… " muttered Aomine, "things can't get any worse than this… "

As Aida hurriedly went to retrieve Nigou from Kuroko, Midorima advanced on Takao.

"TAKAO…"

"Oh hey, Takao-kun!" beamed Takao, beckoning him over. "The shot turned out great! Wanna have a look?"

"I made a mistake nanodayo," growled Midorima, stopping right in front of Takao and glaring at him. "I should have stayed on the other side of the court and shot my rolling pin at you."

Takao seemed tickled by the notion. "HAHAHAHA! No way! You're not gonna make it in that body!"

Midorima shifted his glare to Kagami. "And you, Kagamidiot… don't run from a harmless puppy when you are in this condition nanodayo."

Kagami's expression changed at once. _"Kagamidiot –?_ Damn you, have you forgotten who you borrowed that thing from? _"_

"An airwalking airhead nanodayo."

 _"HUH_ _?"_

"Cool your jets, guys," said Takao breezily. "What my partner meant is that Kagami should be careful not to tarnish Aomine's image. Right, _Takao-kun?_ "

"You're one to talk nanodayo! This all happened because you wore your _omamori_ to bed!"

"You're so cold, Takao-kun! How can you pin all the blame on me?" chuckled Takao.

"What's going on with those three?" uttered Sakurai, but Wakamatsu was speechless.

"Ah… they're not making things easy, are they Aka-chin?" mused Murasakibara, biting off the end his _maiubo_ as he watched the three body-swappers go at it _._

Even Akashi was exasperated. _At this rate, even the coaches won't be able to contain this._ Everyone in the gym already seemed to be under the impression that the Miracles were in need of a psychiatric assessment.

Fed up with Takao, Midorima stomped off to join Akashi.

"I apologise on their behalf nanodayo, Akashi," he told the Rakuzan captain. "I never imagined that Takao would be so unmanageable."

"You were giving yourself away too, Mido-chin," pointed out Murasakibara, before pouring the leftover _maiubo_ crumbs into his mouth.

"Speak for yourself nanodayo," retorted Midorima, gesturing to the _maiubo._ "You should stop eating, Murasakibara. Akashi said your game is next, and on top of that you will make Kise lose his job."

"Actually, I'm reviewing my arrangement," said Akashi. "We are giving ourselves away faster than I thought."

"It wasn't your fault nanodayo, Akashi. Nothing on earth can predict the ridiculous antics those idiots get up to."

"In any case, I will have to ask the coaches to combine our forces for the next match," decided Akashi.

The Rakuzan captain left to enforce his decision, leaving Midorima alone with Murasakibara, who was attempting to rip open a fresh _maiubo_.

"Murasakibara-cchi!" cried Kise, running to the Yosen ace as a scowling Midorima grabbed the _maiubo_ off his hands. "I thought I told you to watch your diet! I didn't buy you ten _maiubo_ sticks so you could devour them all at once!"

"Exactly nanodayo. A model's career is not to be taken lightly," added Midorima shortly.

Aomine, Kuroko and Kagami had tagged along with Kise.

"Midorima-kun, you seem to care for Kise-kun's wellbeing," observed Kuroko.

Midorima pushed up his imaginary glasses. "Care for Kise? Nonsense. I simply wish to face him at his full strength."

"You know, I think the reason everyone looks at us is because Midorima keeps doing that," theorised Aomine.

Midorima turned to him immediately. "What did you say?"

"Perhaps you should get a pair of fake glasses, Midorima-kun," suggested Kuroko.

"Tetsu-kun!" Out of nowhere, an ecstatic Momoi rammed into the Phantom Miracle. "I've finally found you! Did you say something about glasses?"

Kuroko didn't reply; he was struggling to free himself from the manager's grip.

"Oi, Satsuki. Give him some space already," said Aomine with exasperation.

"Aomine-kun, you meanie! You tricked me into hugging Midorin just now!" pouted Momoi unhappily, but to Kuroko's relief she released him at once. "Anyway, Tetsu-kun's words made me remember – here you go, Midorin!"

She lifted his right hand and placed something green on it.

Midorima stared. It was the fake spectacles he had worn when the Miracles switched for the first time.

"You've been plotting this all along?!" exclaimed Midorima in shock.

Momoi gave a little laugh. "Don't be silly! I was keeping it as a souvenir."

"Momo-cchi, I think you're the one who needs a psychiatric assessment," remarked Kise.

"Are we gonna start soon?" asked Kagami.

"If it were up to me, you would have been sent home in a trash bag," scowled Aomine. "Thanks to you my pride's been torn to shreds."

"Sorry about that," muttered Kagami. "I can't put up with dogs."

Aomine didn't seem to expect a straight-up apology from Kagami.

"Er, right," he said, seeming unable to react.

"Aka-chin is making some new arrangements with the coaches," explained Murasakibara lazily. "Something about combining forces… I think. What are you doing, Kuro-chin?"

Kuroko had been sniffing Murasakibara mildly.

"Murasakibara-kun used to smell like a candy store, but now it's Kise-kun's body that smells like one."

"Eh?" Murasakibara pulled on his own shirt and sniffed. "Maybe it's Kise-chin's deodorant."

Now the others were also sniffing Murasakibara.

"You're right," said Kagami, wrinkling his nose. "He smells like a candy factory."

Over at the Seirins' bench, Koganei was tugging on Hyuuga's sleeve.

"Hyuuga! _Hyuuga!_ Do you see that? Kagami and the Miracles are all smelling Kise!"

Hyuuga was staring as well. "What are they _doing?_ "

Aida scowled at the Miracles. _The moment Akashi takes off, everything falls apart. I hope this swap will see a conclusion soon._

...

"Kise's deodorant doesn't smell like that," Aomine was saying. "It's too sweet."

Kise turned to him suspiciously. "How do you know what my deodorant smells like?"

"Cos I used to borrowed it when we were in Teiko."

"Borrow it? More like 'pilfered'!"

"It's true nanodayo," said Midorima suspiciously. "Murasakibara, how much did you eat?"

"I'm gonna ask Seirin's coach to lend me a weighing scale," announced Kise immediately.

Murasakibara was wrestled onto the weighing scale by Kise.

"Up by four pounds!" exclaimed Kise in shock. He had just weighed himself last week."How could you, Murasakibara-cchi!?"

"Kise, you forgot to turn out his pockets nanodayo," pointed out Midorima.

After emptying Murasakibara of his snacks (he had snuck some from the vending machine in addition to the ones Kise had bought for him) they took his weight again.

It was now normal. Kise was extremely relieved.

"Well, that explains the smell," remarked Aomine, staring at the pile of _maiubo_ and other assortment of candy bars on the floor.

"It would be unrealistic to gain four pounds in less than a day," added Kuroko.

Aomine made a face. "What's unrealistic is how he managed to cram all of that into his pockets."

When Akashi returned, his former Teiko teammates started sniffing him.

"Is something wrong?" asked the nonplussed Rakuzan captain, stopping in his tracks.

"We just wondered if you would smell like Murasakibara-kun does when he's in his own body," explained Kuroko.

"But Akashi-cchi smells fine," said Kise. "The scent is unique to Murasakibara-cchi."

"You could open your own perfume store, Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko suggested to him.

"Sounds like a pain," yawned Murasakibara.

"What's going on, Akashi? Are we starting the next match now?" asked Midorima.

" _Heyyy!_ What's up, guys?" said Takao cheerfully, bouncing in all of a sudden with Himuro behind him.

"Ah, you're here. I was just about to call you," said Akashi with a nod at Takao. "I've decided to set up next match as the stage for two standoffs."

"In other words…?" probed Aomine.

"Why are you here anyway? Your match is over nanodayo," said Midorima.

"'Cos Akashi's teammates keep hanging around my ass," said Aomine, grimacing.

"We will have Murasakibara and Kagami on opposing teams," continued Akashi. "Same goes for Midorima and I. And the teams will be fully fledged this time. Kagami, Himuro-san, Takao, Wakamatsu-san and I will form the white team; Midorima, Murasakibara, Kasamatsu-san, Kuroko and Miyaji-san will be the black."

"So it's a mix-and-match game," affirmed Himuro.

"Why do I have to be on the same team as Murasakibara?" asked Midorima, sounding annoyed.

"As long as Kagami is my opponent, I don't care even if it's five against one," said Murasakibara.

"Let's give it our best, Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko told them.

"I'm on the same team as Akashi, Kagami and Himuro-senpai? That is off the hook!" exclaimed Takao, looking pumped. "Don't hold out on me, Shin-chan!"

"Hmph. I will not lose when it comes to a battle of threes nanodayo," scoffed Midorima.

"Aw… Are you still pouting about what happened at Kuroko-kun's birthday party?" teased Takao, nudging his partner playfully. Apparently, the Shutoku ace was still irked with Himuro for attempting to use his lucky item as a culinary ingredient.

Himuro laughed a little. "Oh, sorry about that. I thought you brought it for the party feast."

"Don't worry about it, senpai," winked Takao. "Shin-chan told me he respects your skills as a fellow shooting guard."

Midorima scowled. "Why would I say such a senseless thing nanodayo?"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Himuro smiled. "I'm flattered to hear that, Midorima."

"What's there to be flattered about nanodayo!" Midorima stormed off, his face flushed. Takao trailed after him, still laughing.

"Are you OK, Kagami-kun?" asked Kuroko, noticing that Kagami still looked a little ill.

"Do I look OK to you?" demanded Kagami. "I've been body-swapped! And I still lose a heartbeat whenever I see my hands. How did Aomine manage to get so dark anyway?"

"Perhaps on a certain day at the beach, he mistook suntan oil for sunscreen…"

"Like hell that happened!" said Aomine irritably, walking off the court with Kise.

The players got started on some warm ups.

Wakamatsu, Kasamatsu and Miyaji seemed confused when they were told by the coaches about the last minute arrangements. But then they remembered their instructions to turn a blind eye to all questionable on-goings and took it in their stride.

"But what about me?" asked Sakurai, as Wakamatsu got up to join the other players.

"The Coach said you'll be our reserve," reminded Wakamatsu.

"In case Wakamatsu chokes on his own lungs," said Aomine carelessly, now reclined against the wall with Kise.

"AH?" Wakamatsu rounded on him. "Don't think you can run your mouth loose just 'cos you hammered us! You lost to Seirin as much as we did!"

"Put a sock in it."

As Wakamatsu was about to blow a fuse, Aomine added without lifting his head, "Don't worry, Cap. I'll make sure Touou takes down Seirin at the Interhigh."

Wakamatsu stared at him for a minute. Then, deciding that losing the practice match must have turned 'Akashi' into a nutjob, he strode off to the court.

"Don't worry, Hayakawa. You'll get some game time when the Interhigh comes," Kasamatsu assured the dismal Hayakawa, who'd also been benched, as he made his way up to Murasakibara.

"Hey," said Kaijo's ex-captain to the Miracle. "I heard from Hayakawa that you've been working on spinning out your Perfect Copy."

'Kise' blinked uncomprehendingly. "Eh? If it's Perfect Copy you're talking about, you should have seen it in the previous game, senpai."

"It's _your_ Perfect Copy, 'Kise'," Midorima told Murasakibara as he shoved the ball into his hands, reminding the Miracle of who he was. "Remember that nanodayo."

Kasamatsu frowned at Midorima. "Takao, why are you imitating Midorima?"

"Right back at you, Mido-chin," said Murasakibara, tucking the ball under his arm and walking away; he had never been one for warm ups.

"I want to see a barrage of threes today, Midorima," said Miyaji, who was shooting hoops.

Kuroko blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?"

 _Uh oh,_ thought Kuroko for the second time that day. Kise's reputation had almost combusted because of him, and now it seemed like Midorima was in for the same out-turn.


	27. Chapter 27

**The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kagami - Aomine

Kuroko – Midorima

Kise – Kagami

Takao - Kuroko

Midorima – Takao

Aomine – Akashi

Murasakibara – Kise

Akashi – Murasakibara

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

"You OK, Kagami?" Himuro asked Kagami; the Seirin ace was busy doing active stretches.

"Yeah. Just thinking," replied Kagami. He wasn't so sure about Kuroko who, apart from being accident-prone, happened to have some pretty volatile teammates this time around. Midorima and Murasakibara went without saying; as for Kasamatsu, Kagami had witnessed Kise being kicked around plenty of times; and Miyaji was said to be as hotheaded as his older brother.

"You're worried about Kuroko-kun, aren't you?" said Takao airily. "Don't be - that's what his lack of presence is for. There's absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Thanks," said Kagami uncertainly. "It's weird hearing that when you're in his body though."

"Hahahahaha! Wait 'til you see me shooting threes!"

"No offence, but I doubt he can do it with your body. Not unless he goes into the Zone, maybe..."

"Zone? Well, I haven't actually seen it myself, but Shin-chan in the Zone would mean he could shoot blindfolded in front of a thousand defenders, and the ball would zoom around the earth before whizzing back to the court and swishing through the hoop."

"Huh!?"

"What illogical notion are you running on now?" said Midorima irritably, appearing between them.

"Oh, Shin-chan!" greeted Takao enthusiastically, as if welcoming back an old friend. "Not gonna give Kagami-kun any pointers this time?"

"What's with the sudden question nanodayo?"

"You showered him with some useful tips last year. Now that I think about it, you were kind of like a father, Shin-chan! Hahahaha!"

"Ridiculous nanodayo. How was I like a father?"

"So I guess that would make me his uncle!"

"Don't just make up a relationship nanodayo. And since when were you my brother?"

"What? Would you prefer me to be your wife?"

"Die, Takao."

Takao dissolved into laughter. At that moment, Murasakibara came up to them.

"Mido-chin's wives are his lucky items," he commented unexpectedly.

This made Takao laugh even harder. "Shin-chan's a real playboy!"

"Laugh all you want nanodayo. I'll show the both of you just how many threes 'Takao' is capable of making."

"Eh? You're not worried at all, Mido-chin?" asked Murasakibara curiously.

Takao threw an arm across Midorima's shoulder. "What's there to be worried about? I've got faith in Shin-chan."

"As you should," said Midorima matter-of-factly. But he was wearing the smallest of smiles.

"I was asking Mido-chin," pointed out Murasakibara, as Momoi came running up with the official ball, referee whistle bouncing on her buxom chest. "Oh… is the game finally starting? Good. I was getting tired of waiting."

Murasakibara's confrontational gaze drifted to the oblivious Kagami. In the meantime, Midorima turned to look at Akashi.

Kuroko adjusted his wristbands before stepping onto the court. It was a habit he'd developed from his days of playing basketball.

"Hey, hey… is your team gonna be OK, Kuroko?" remarked Takao, Murasakibara and Midorima as they got ready to line up. "Those two warmongers are already straying off the pack."

"Although Midorima-kun beating Akashi-kun takes priority, I believe Akashi-kun also has his reasons for assembling us into teams," stated Kuroko sincerely. "Because of this, I will do my best to ensure that we win."

"Well, got nothing to say to that," chuckled Takao. "Still, this kind of arrangement doesn't exactly spark flames of motivation. You've got four teammates from different teams, and I've got two people from teams that beat mine. Sure hope Akashi knows what he's doing…"

As Miyaji and Kagami got ready for the jump ball, the other players placed themselves in strategic positions. It struck Midorima that, him being in Takao's body, Akashi practically towered over him now. This was further exponentiated by the fact that Akashi was in Murasakibara's lanky body.

Momoi tossed up the ball. Not surprisingly, it ended up in Kagami's hands.

Next second, Murasakibara had swiped it.

The surprise attack almost cost Kagami his chance for a re-possession. Murasakibara thundered through the court, a remarkable feat given Kise's mass. Himuro peeled away from his mark, forming a triple-team with Kagami and Wakamatsu right below the net.

"Kise!" shouted Kasamatsu. If Murasakibara passed to him, they would be able to take a clear shot.

But Murasakibara blew past his defenders like they were _papier_ _mâché and_ landed one of his powerful dunks.

 _Damn it! It's not as strong as the original, but still it packs a wallop,_ thought Kagami, watching the rim shudder from the force.

"I thought I told you to guard the hoop nanodayo, Mura – I mean, Midorima!" shouted Midorima furiously.

"Eh? But that's like, impossible," retorted Murasakibara, jabbing his thumb at Kagami. "He reminds me too much of Kiyoshi."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse nanodayo?"

 _It's just as I suspected,_ thought Akashi. Without Kiyoshi, Murasakibara's pseudo-archenemy, the Miracle's frustration in losing to Seirin was being directed at the next best candidate. But, as long as it got Murasakibara moving…

"Maybe you shouldn't have trained yourself to Copy that," Aomine told Kise from the benches. "You've given Murasakibara an outlet for his own power."

"He can't keep doing that though," protested Kise. "It takes up a lot of stamina."

"Either way, it's not a Kise I'd want to face. Though I could still trash him."

Now Kise was staring at Aomine. "So were you holding back on me, but pretending not to? If that was the case I think you should consider a career in showbiz."

"If you count idiotic teammates and a truncated body, then yes, I was 'holding back'. And quit asking before it majorly pisses me off."

Kise laughed. "Now you're more like the Emperor Akashi."

Murasakibara had stumped to his post, looking sulky. Midorima lifted his invisible glasses and sighed.

"They look like a student and teacher with a bad relationship," observed Himuro sympathetically. Takao chortled.

"Has Kise not patched things up with his girlfriend yet?" Kasamatsu asked Kuroko. "I've never seen him act so prickly before."

Always the tough questions. Kuroko figured Midorima's attitude would come in handy just about now.

"Not my concern nanodayo," he said gruffly. This made the real Midorima do a double take.

 _"Gwahahaha!"_ Takao couldn't hold it in anymore. Even Himuro was smiling.

"You've got an interesting partner, Taiga," he told Kagami.

Kagami didn't look amused at all. "You realise this is all a tragedy, right?"

Himuro clapped his back. "There, there. Just focus and you'll play like your good old self."

Akashi began the next possession. Midorima was determined to overthrow him. He would rather burn all his lucky items than participate in the Interhigh with someone else's body.

"You're at a crossroads, Akashi," he told the Rakuzan captain. "Without your Emperor Eye, you won't be able to pull any ankle breaks?"

Akashi smiled. "On the contrary, Midorima, 'he' simply uses it better than me."

Before Midorima could let the meaning sink in. Akashi took advantage of his lowered guard to move. He dribbled almost erratically. Before he knew it, Midorima acted on instinct.

This was his literal downfall. The Shutoku ace fell on his left knee, and Akashi sped past him as if he had been playing in Murasakibara's body all his life.

Recovering quickly, Midorima moved to close the gap between him and his mark, but Akashi had already passed to Himuro.

Kagami shook off Murasakibara and leapt to block Himuro's shot. A split second later, he realised Himuro's feet were still on the ground.

 _A fake!_

Takao caught Himuro's pass. Smirking, he dribbled to the net, breaking past Kuroko. Then Kasamatsu appeared in his path, so fast Takao couldn't have seen it coming.

Kasamatsu thought he had him, but next moment, Takao had looked across Kasamatsu's right shoulder and made a sudden bounce pass to the left at the same time.

 _A no-look pass!_ thought Kasamatsu with frustration. For a team that had been put together arbitrarily at the last minute, their dynamics were commendable.

Kagami received Takao's pass. The net was only five feet away, but it might as well have been fifty feet for the aura that Murasakibara was giving off.

 _Do I really resemble Kiyoshi that much?_ thought Kagami. _I thought I look like Aomine now. Maybe it's the way I play, or maybe I'm the ace of the team that beat him? Crap._

It was scary how Murasakibara could jump as high as he did in Kise's body, but Kagami wouldn't lose when it came to aerial advantage. He switched quickly to his left hand and slammed the ball in.

He landed at the same time as Murasakibara. They breathed hard, staring at each other like militants in a battlefield.

"Atsushi is taking this way too seriously," said Himuro with some concern to Akashi. "Even Taiga is getting riled up."

"

It was now three minutes into the game, and the scores were tied.

"It's kinda freaky to actually see the two of us at each other's throats," remarked Kise. He and Aomine had been watching Kagami and Murasakibara intently.

"What's freaky is watching myself doing ordinary plays," said Aomine dismally. "If I'd known that moron would be playing in my body, I would have taught him how to make a formless shot… "

"Did Kuroko just cut through Midorima?" Miyaji was demanding of the real Midorima. "This is unreal! How is Kuroko suddenly better than a Miracle?"

"I'll take that as a compliment, Cap!" said Takao cheerily, waving at his Captain.

Midorima sighed as Miyaji stared at 'Kuroko' in disbelief.

 _This is abysmal nanodayo,_ brooded Midorima. _Takao's imbecilic behaviour aside, it seems that Akashi can still pull off ankle breaks. But it's not as effective as when he's using Emperor Eye. The only reason I collapsed was due to the element of surprise he had. That said, I will not fall for his trap again._

"When did Kuroko learn to cut through the court like that? Plus that no-look pass! That was sick!" cried Furihata, overawed to point of holding his head. Everyone in Seirin was amazed by 'Kuroko's' performance.

"And Murasakibara cracked Takao's ankles!" exclaimed Koganei breathlessly. "Did he learn to do it from Akashi?"

Aida tried not to let out a groan. Even Hyuuga couldn't summon the energy to voice out his opinion this time.

"Let me start nanodayo," Midorima requested Kasamatsu, who was about to begin the next possession. "Please," he added reluctantly, when Kasamatsu squinted at him suspiciously.

"You got some kind of plan?" asked the ex-captain.

"Yes," answered Midorima. It wasn't a lie. His plan was to beat Akashi and regain his old body, but no need to tell Kasamatsu that.

"Fine," muttered Kasamatsu, relinquishing the ball to Midorima. "Things have gotten too wacky. I'm killing to know what the coaches are thinking, slapping us together in this hodgepodge of a mess."

As soon as the game resumed, Midorima drove for the hoop.

To his consternation, Akashi stayed on him like an obtrusive shadow. Then he suddenly cut in, forcing Midorima to stop in his tracks.

"How can you be as fast as before nanodayo?" demanded Midorima.

"Fast?" repeated Akashi, momentarily surprised. "On the contrary, Midorima, I have declined. We both have. It would be natural for you to assume I haven't slowed down."

This made sense. Under normal circumstances, Midorima would have taken the shot; he was close enough to the three-point line. But the Akashi now was like a mountain looming over him.

Frustrated, Midorima served the open Miyaji a fast pass.

Unfortunately, Takao intercepted it.

"I see through you, Takao-kun!" he declared as he dribbled toward the net.

 _Takao…_ Midorima was thoroughly annoyed. Miyaji had gone after Takao and managed to corner him, but with a quick glance over his shoulder, Takao heaved the ball to the player behind him.

Midorima caught the pass on instinct.

"Why are you passing to me, Takao!?" he demanded, flummoxed.

Takao grinned. "Sorry, can't help it. When I see my partner, my hand automatically goes for a pass."

Deciding to overlook it this time, Midorima began to dribble in the opposite direction. "It doesn't count if I don't beat him on my own nanodayo!"

"Oh?" said Takao, running alongside him. "Sounds like a certain green-haired guy I used to play with."

"If this were an official match, I would be playing differently nanodayo!"

"Did you hit yourself over the head?"

"What?"

"Haven't you learned anything from watching last year's Winter Cup final? Akashi and Kagami were good, but they didn't excel alone. What I mean to say is, being good at one-on-one matches doesn't define individual skill."

"What the hell are they doing?" demanded Miyaji in confusion, watching the pair meandering to the net. Even as they kept talking, Midorima stopped to land a three.

Wakamatsu was ready for the rebound, but it didn't matter; the ball sank through like a silent ghost.

"I thought we've been through this nanodayo," said Midorima, turning Takao with a frown. "Furthermore, today's circumstances are different."

"Yeah." Takao picked up the ball and approached Midorima. He began to twirl the ball on his finger. "Unity is strength, teamwork makes the dreamwork, all that stuff I know you know. But there's being good at working with your team, and then there's being good at working with any team." He smashed the ball, stopping its momentum completely. "What I'm saying is, Shin-chan, if you wanna be stronger than Akashi, you should best him at what he's best in." He turned suddenly and began to make his way to the side line, waving a hand as he did. "Ah… to think I'm the one who's dishing out the advice this time."

Miyaji came trotting to Midorima's side. He stared at Takao.

"What was that about?"

Midorima didn't reply. Instead, he took out the pair of fake spectacles Momoi had given him from his pocket and put them on.

"Uh… Takao? You didn't tell me you wore glasses," said Miyaji, flabbergasted.

"I'm sorry, Mi – I mean, Takao-kun. I needed some time to adjust to Midorima-kun's body," explained Kuroko, popping up all of a sudden.

Miyaji jerked violently. "Midorima! You gave me a heart attack. Where have you been the whole time?"

"I had an epiphany nanodayo," said the real Midorima solemnly. "It is regrettable how long it took to hit me."

"Yes," said Kuroko. "To be honest, I thought you would have figured it out by now."

"Midorima, you are too blunt for your own good nanodayo."

"Anyway, it will take too much time for me to adapt to my new environment, Takao-kun. I feel it would be better for me to replace Kise-kun."

"Very well," said Midorima. Kuroko had once taken up the mantle of a centre player back at their last swap. An invisible centre would certainly be an asset.

As they resumed the game, whatever respect Midorima had for Takao after his speech disintegrated; the Shutoku point guard kept passing to Midorima, apparently for the fun of it.

"Oops!" said Takao, the fourth time it happened. "My bad. Don't be mad, Takao- _kun_!"

 _I may have to assassinate him nanodayo,_ pondered Midorima darkly.

"Will you get serious already?" Kagami told Takao in annoyance. "You're lucky Midorima hasn't cashed in on those passes."

Takao's frivolous passes delayed the game; Midorima was persistent in returning the ball to him, and it turned into a hot potato game.

"Man… I sure wish we were the ones on the court right now," said Kise wistfully, watching Takao and the furious Midorima trading passes like it was a time bomb.

"Tell me about it," grumbled Aomine. He hoped he would never hear anybody calling him 'Sei-chan' again. "I'd pick Midorima or Murasakibara as a teammate over any of those Rakuzan clowns. On second thought…" he paused, having caught sight of the skirmishing Shutoku pair, "...I'll just settle for Murasakibara."


	28. Chapter 28

***Note: There won't be any new chapters until the end of this month.**

 **...**

 **The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kagami - Aomine

Kuroko – Midorima

Kise – Kagami

Takao - Kuroko

Midorima – Takao

Aomine – Akashi

Murasakibara – Kise

Akashi – Murasakibara

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Kagami finally put a stop to Takao's antics by stealing the ball in mid-bounce.

"No wonder you always drive that Midorima bastard crazy!" he fumed, driving for the net.

He'd forgotten that Murasakibara was no longer stuck in the paint. The Yosen ace cut into his path so fast all Kagami saw was a yellow streak. Reacting quickly, Kagami passed to Himuro. Himuro caught it and wound up for a shot.

Murasakibara slammed the ball out of his hands.

"Whoa!" Even Himuro was startled by Murasakibara's ferocity. The Yosen ace steamrollered ahead with the ball. In front of him were three defenders.

"Kise!" called Kasamatsu. He had his hands raised, signalling for a pass.

"Outta the way, senpai," growled Murasakibara, charging past him heedlessly.

"That idiot," groaned Kise, as Aomine snorted.

"Uh oh. Looks like a monster's headed our way," commented Takao, alongside his two other defenders, as Murasakibara barrelled toward them. "I think you should take the reins on this one, Akashi."

"I'll take him," said Kagami.

"I'll help you," added Akashi.

Murasakibara showed no signs of stopping. Akashi deduced that he was going to cut around them. Timing it precisely, he moved quickly to the left, forcing Murasakibara to skirt round his right, bringing him in front of Kagami.

Takao's hand came out of nowhere; Murasakibara switched his dribbling hand to dodge the steal, leaving a split second opening which Kagami pounced on.

He swiped the ball from the distracted Murasakibara and was off like a shot. Midorima made to intercept him, but Akashi blocked his path. Kasamatsu was also occupied with Himuro.

Kagami made it to the net before he remembered something important again.

A bespectacled player leapt up out of nowhere, rejecting Kagami's lay-up with a slam of his hand.

"AH!"

"Sorry, Kagami-kun," said Kuroko. Kagami shot him an aggravated look.

"Don't apologise! It makes this look even weirder."

Midorima had caught the ball and was now driving for his own basket.

Not surprisingly, he was swiftly intercepted by Akashi.

"I was careless before," Midorima told him grimly, dribbling on the spot. "But you can't pull the same move again, Akashi. You didn't bring down Murasakibara because your downgraded ankle breaks will only work on the average player nanodayo. It only worked on me the first time because I had my guard down."

"True," agreed Akashi. "Under normal circumstances, you might have won. Unfortunately, I now possess the physical advantage. If you want to beat me, you'll have to come up trumps."

Midorima knew that Akashi wasn't just talking about Murasakibara's height, but his extraordinarily long limbs and high-speed movements as well. Takao was by no means a mediocre player, but his physical specs were admittedly inferior by comparison.

Faster than a blink, Midorima performed a crossover and then suddenly rebounded the ball off the floor – it bounced between Akashi's legs and was caught by Murasakibara, who had been waiting a short ways off.

"Thanks for the meal," drawled Murasakibara. He barrelled past Takao and ended with a reverse dunk that overpowered the defending Wakamatsu.

"Pretty good," smiled Akashi, as Midorima lifted his glasses. "Found a hole in the defence. You have an excellent partner, Midorima."

"That goes without saying nanodayo," replied Midorima – but only after checking that Takao was out of earshot, Akashi noticed.

"You've got your work cut out for ya, _senpai,_ " Takao the aforementioned partner was telling the annoyed Wakamatsu.

"Oh, shut up! You're not doing much either," retorted Touou's captain.

"Not to the naked eye. My role is to be Shin-chan's shadow after all."

"Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Takao merely chortled.

The game resumed with the white team's ball. Midorima was on Akashi, but Akashi out-jumped him and landed a three before the others even knew what had gone down.

The white team was now leading by four points.

"It's like he hasn't been body-swapped!" exclaimed Kagami in bewilderment. "He can't be that good!"

Takao chuckled. "Don't complain! He's the reason we're winning!"

"Yeah… like you're the reason we nearly lost?"

"Hey, I was just trying to help."

"In what way would you call that 'helping'?!"

"It kinda looks like 'Mine-chin' and 'Kuro-chin' are fighting," Murasakibara told Kuroko.

"No. I think Kagami-kun is the one doing the fighting," Kuroko corrected him. "More importantly, Murasakibara-kun, you should prepare yourself," he added, eyeing the person who was fast approaching Murasakibara.

'KISEEEEE!"

"Aahh!" hollered the real Kise at the same time, zipping to the court so fast Aomine didn't even see him vanish.

Kasamatsu was sprinting toward Murasakibara, eyes flashing with anger.

"You got some nerve blowing past me like that!" yelled the former captain, leaping into the air with the intention of dealing Murasakibara a massive flying kick.

Next second, his foot made contact with someone who had thrown himself between the two like a lifebuoy.

"What the – ?" Kasamatsu gaped at the red-haired Miracle who had just covered for 'Kise'. "Kagami!?"

Kise lay on the floor wincing; Kasamatsu's blows were as ruthless as ever. Even Murasakibara was stunned for a moment.

"Kise-chin?" he asked in confusion.

Kasamatsu stared at him. "Kise-chin…?"

"You idiot!" cursed the real Kagami, pulling Kise to his feet and grabbing him by the shoulders. "You could have killed me!"

"Sorry," said Kise, still catching his breath.

"Don't apologise! Damn it."

"Huh? Make up your mind!" protested Kise.

Kasamatsu's anger had been completely replaced by perplexity. Murasakibara was still brain-scrambled.

"Kise-chin shielded me?" he muttered to himself. He looked up. And then he stepped slowly toward Kise. "Kise-chin… you saved me? You didn't have to go that far."

"Uh… no problem," said Kise, blinking in surprise. This was the first time he had seen Murasakibara behave this way. He didn't voice it out, but he had actually meant to stop Kasamatsu from attacking Murasakibara. The part where he took the kick hadn't been part of the plan.

 _But what the hell. Murasakibara-cchi actually thanked me. Well, sort of._

Murasakibara now directed his scowl at Kasamatsu. "But senpai, why did you try to kick me? I didn't do anything wrong."

 _Is this really Kise?_ questioned Kasamatsu, staring at the grumpy Miracle. _Kise wouldn't act like this._

"Now now, Atsu – I mean, Kise. Let it be, OK?" Himuro placated his teammate. "You want to play at the Interhigh in your best form, don't you?"

Murasakibara still looked grumpy. "Not like there's a guarantee we'll be back to our old selves doing this," he pouted. But Himuro's coaxing did the trick. The Yosen centre slouched away, sighing somewhat dramatically.

Kasamatsu continued to frown suspiciously. This was definitely not the Kise he knew.

"Don't let it bother you, senpai," Kise told Kasamatsu earnestly. "It's just a temporary phase he's going through. I'm sure Kise-cchi is taking all of this seriously too."

Kasamatsu's frowned deepened to the point where he looked involuntarily fierce.

"Kise-cchi?" he repeated, not quite believing his ears.

"Oh, look at the time! We're way overdue for a re-possession. Let's return to the game, Kasamatsu," said Himuro, casually leading Kasamatsu away from Kise.

Kise's 'kind deed' seemed to have sapped Murasakibara of all his hostile energy. But with Kuroko guarding the hoop, the black team still had a chance of winning.

Except for one thing. Midorima thought that Akashi had managed to attune to Murasakibara's body at a frightening speed, however it soon became apparent that Akashi had only just started adapting. As the game progressed his movements got faster and less predictable.

Miyaji and Kasamatsu had their ankles broken twice. Even when Midorima caught up to Akashi, the Rakuzan captain out-manoeuvred him and landed a two without a hitch.

Midorima was breathing heavily, perspiration running down in rivulets. There was barely a minute left, but it was enough time to squeeze in a buzzer beater.

"How can you be as fast as before?" he demanded in frustration.

Akashi regarded him with an inscrutable expression. "On the contrary, I've gotten slower. We both have. It would be natural for you to assume I haven't slowed down."

Midorima's pupils dilated a little. Of course. If they were both slower, it would explain why Midorima's ordinary double-team with Murasakibara had counteracted Akashi's offence. If he timed it just right, he might be able to break past Akashi's defence –

Moving quickly, Midorima faked driving to the left, and then transitioned into a turnaround jump shot.

It worked. Akashi's hand missed the ball by a hair's breadth.

However, as Midorima's feet touched ground, he realised he had forgotten one last important point.

…

As soon as the buzzer sounded, Midorima stomped off the court and took a long draught from a mineral bottle.

"Midorima-cchi, you don't have to look so depressed. It's fine to miss a half-court three considering the state you're in," Kise tried to console the Shutoku ace.

Since Midorima had missed the buzzer beater, the black team suffered a defeat. The Shutoku ace was giving off doom-and-gloom vibes.

"You fought well Midorima-kun," said Kuroko earnestly. "Even though your threes were normal, I don't think Takao would have been able to score so many of them as well as you did."

Kise slapped Midorima on the back. "Cheer up, OK? Once this is all over you'll be back to full-court domination!"

Midorima did not appreciate the back slap. "Kise, don't touch me nanodayo."

"Ouch," said Takao, in response to Kuroko's comment. "Well, Kuroko's right. Shin-chan performed above expectations today."

"That's right, Midorima-cchi. Consider it your proudest accomplishment to date."

"My proudest accomplishment was when I stopped a purse snatcher by lobbing a _maiubo_ box at his head from fifty feet away nanodayo."

"Ehh? You're so mean, Mido-chin. Saying that destroying my maiubo box is your proudest accomplishment."

"You should be proud too, Murasakibara-cchi. It was your _maiubo_ that saved the day."

"It's probably the only useful thing he's ever done," grinned Aomine.

…

Akashi walked in through the open door of the changing room, where the rest of the swappers were already assembled.

"Sorry for the wait," he announced. "I was just having a short word with the coaches. Tomorrow will be the last day before the preliminaries. If our bodies are still swapped, it'll be our last chance to shuffle ourselves back. And since the other teams will be returning home this evening, we'll be the only ones playing."

"No kidding. Your triumph over Midorima more or less sealed our fates," frowned Kagami.

"And we still haven't pitted Tetsu against Kise," added Aomine.

"In any case, let's call it a day and retire to Kagami's flat."

Kagami sighed and rubbed his head briefly. "Guess I'll pop by the mall. There won't be enough toiletries and spare mattresses to go around the nine of us."

"Nine?" inquired Kuroko.

"Yeah. Tatsuya and Takao will be camping over tonight."

"Great," groaned Aomine. "This is gonna be some party. Do we really have to spend the night in that prison cell, Akashi?"

"Oi," scowled Kagami.

"Well, we wouldn't want Midorima-cchi to walk in on Takao's sister changing, would we?" reminded Kise.

"So that's why he came back with a lump on his head!" exclaimed Aomine.

"KISE!" bellowed Midorima, rounding on Kise furiously.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Shin-chan did that?" howled Takao. "I wish I could have seen it!"

They headed back to Kagami's apartment, except Kagami, who rushed over to the district for his shopping errand.

"This pricks my conscience," said Kise. "I know we're paying for the stuff, but still… "

"I agree. Kagami-kun isn't the kind who complains, but it doesn't change the fact that we are imposing on him," said Kuroko.

"Why don't we make dinner as repayment?" suggested Akashi. "Kagami usually cooks for himself, and it would be a nice change of pace for him to have someone else do the cooking instead."

"An excellent idea," smiled Himuro. "There's a supermarket down the street. We can drop by for a quick round of grocery shopping and whip something up for everyone."

"I'm up for it!" said Takao merrily.

"What a pain," sighed Murasakibara. But he went along with them anyway.

"So… what's next?" asked Kise some time later, when they'd stepped into the supermarket and were blinking at the brightly-lit aisles. "Did anyone happen to scribble down a shopping list on the way?"

"It depends on what we're cooking nanodayo," answered Midorima.

"Okonomiyaki," answered Akashi. "I know a simple recipe, and it's quick to prepare. Let's split into four pairs to save time, shall we?"

"I'll be with Kuroko-cchi!" declared Kise at once, throwing his arm around Kuroko.

"I'll be at the magazine corner," said Aomine with disinterest.

"Shin-chan, where are you going?" called Takao. "The produce section is right here."

"I wonder what snacks they have… " mused Murasakibara, making his way to the snack aisle.

"No no, Atsushi. You're coming with me," said Himuro, grabbing Murasakibara's hand and dragging him over to the baking aisle instead.

"Aomine, let's go," said Akashi. Aomine, who was ambling to the magazine corner, sighed and did a one-eighty.

"Fine. Don't chew me out if I mix up pork with beef," he mumbled.

Akashi smiled understandably. "You haven't done much shopping before, have you?"

"No. But I know my way around the porn magazine store like the back of my hand."

Over at the condiments aisle, Kuroko was thoughtfully in search of mayonnaise.

"Kuroko-cchi, I found the okonomi sauce!" said Kise brightly, brandishing the bottle like an excited five year old.

"Kise-kun, be care– " began Kuroko, but Kise stumbled into the shopping trolley parked in his blind spot, and the bottle of sauce went sailing over Kuroko's head.

With a gasp, Kise dropped down on his belly and skated across the floor. The bottle fell into his outstretched hand, inches from impact.

Before Kise could let the relief soak in, he heard a familiar voice.

"Kagami?"

Kise stared at the pair of shoes in front of him. His eyes travelled upwards, finally alighting on the owner's face.

Hyuuga Junpei. Seirin's team captain. At his side was Izuki, clutching a soda in his hand and looking dumbstruck.

"Uh…" said Kise, at a loss for words.

"What was that?" Himuro's head stuck out from the neighbouring baking aisle. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the Seirin boys. "What are you guys doing here?"

"There was a shoe sale nearby," explained Izuki. "Hyuuga said he was thirsty so we came to buy a drink, but – "

"Found it, Muro-chin," said Murasakibara, walking into the scene and holding up a bag of flour. He stopped when he saw the two Seirins. "Hm? Are you making okonomiyaki too?"

"Kise?" uttered Hyuuga. "You're here too?"

 _Kuroko-cchi, we could really use your Misdirection Overflow right now,_ thought Kise dismally.

Izuki didn't look so surprised anymore. He and Hyuuga exchanged enigmatic looks.

"Come to think of it, Kagami lives in this area, doesn't he?" recalled Izuki. "Is Kuroko with you?"

"No!" said Kise, almost too hurriedly. "I mean, Kuroko-cchi went home. It's just the three of us."

Hyuuga and Izuki were staring at Kise and Murasakibara with frowns on their faces, as if the Miracles had thrown vulgar insults at them.

At length, Hyuuga turned to address Himuro. "Well then, we'll be… heading back now. See you guys around."

Himuro tried not to smile too forcefully. "Yeah. 'Til the games."

"'Til the games," returned Izuki, nodding at Murasakibara and Kise.

Kise heaved an enormous sigh. "Phew. I thought for sure they'd spotted Kuroko-cchi."

"Kuro-chin's like a chameleon," commented Murasakibara. "No one saw him standing behind you the whole time, Kise-chin. It's kind of scary."

"Murasakibara-kun, I feel your appetite is even scarier," confessed Kuroko bluntly.

Himuro was still staring after the Seirins thoughtfully.

"He told you guys, 'See you at the games,'" he said.

"Eh? What's wrong with that?" asked Murasakibara.

"He told you and Kise that, but… isn't Kise supposed to be Kagami now?"

"He probably meant it for Murasakibara-kun," said Kuroko. "If they suspected that we've been swapped, I don't think they would have just left like they did."

Murasakibara's stomach chose that moment to give a huge rumble.

"Ahh… I'm famished. Let's hurry up and finish the shopping," he complained as he rubbed his tummy.

Kise winced. "I'm glad that happened after they left."


	29. Chapter 29

**Happy Christmas! Sorry if the chapter's shorter than usual. It was meant to be the final one but there's more to write than I initially thought so I decided to split it.**

 **...**

 **The following list can be read as:**

 **Original Character – Inhabited Body**

Kagami - Aomine

Kuroko – Midorima

Kise – Kagami

Takao - Kuroko

Midorima – Takao

Aomine – Akashi

Murasakibara – Kise

Akashi – Murasakibara

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"Let's see – the first thing on the list is cabbages," Takao informed his teammate.

"Y-you mean this one nanodayo?" Midorima tentatively picked up a round green and white vegetable and studied it uncertainly.

"Shin-chan, that's a lettuce."

Midorima stared at the lettuce in his hand, and then at Takao. "Takao, do you cook a lot?"

Takao shot him a beaming grin. "I'm part of the health committee, remember? Next to basketball, knowing all the greens is my specialty."

"I don't see the connection nanodayo," frowned Midorima.

"You don't have to. Next one's onions."

Midorima picked up a long vegetable.

Takao eyed him dubiously."Shin-chan, that's a leek."

Midorima turned red. All of them looked the same, for crying out loud.

Takao had to hold his ribs; he was laughing too hard. "This is priceless! I know you're not great at cooking from what I've seen at home ec, Shin-chan, but I totally thought you'd have mastered it in theory!"

"Be quiet nanodayo!" snapped Midorima, turning even redder. Were it not for his incompetency in home ec, his grades would have been perfect. It was something he held a grudge about.

Takao patted him consolingly, but he was clearly still on the verge of hysterics. "Don't you worry, Shin-chan! I'll teach you all there is to know about greens. Shall I start with the As?"

"Die, Takao," growled Midorima.

Over at the deli, Akashi was searching for pork cuts. Aomine was leaning against the glass counter like he was about to fall asleep.

The elderly clerk glared at him sternly. "Now don't make me heave this T-bone at you, boy. Come on – on your feet!"

She rapped on the counter sharply. Annoyed, Aomine reluctantly peeled himself off.

 _Two days until the preliminaries, and here we are shopping for groceries like a gaggle of housewives,_ he reflected moodily. _It wouldn't be so bad if I had some magazines to pass the time. I should have asked that idiot if there were any shops selling them around here._

"Hey, Akashi," he said loudly, as the Rakuzan captain collected the packaged meat from the deli clerk. "Do you know a shop that sells porn magazines in this area?"

The clerk stared at Aomine, scandalised. Several shoppers in the vicinity also turned to gawk at them.

Akashi sighed quietly.

…

Himuro and Murasakibara were already waiting near the checkout counters. Murasakibara was munching on a chocolate bar.

When Aomine and Akashi showed up, the former immediately pointed at Murasakibara's chocolate bar.

"Did you pay for that?" he demanded.

"Eh? Of course," drawled Murasakibara.

"Atsushi couldn't wait any longer, so he went ahead and bought it first," explained Himuro.

Midorima and Takao came along next.

"… and some people think tomatoes are vegetables, but fundamentally they're fruits… "

"I appreciate the lecture, Takao, but I suggest that you find a different audience nanodayo," said Midorima tiredly.

Then he stopped short at the sight of Murasakibara chewing on his chocolate bar.

"Did you pay for that nanodayo?" he demanded, stabbing a finger in the direction of the chocolate

Murasakibara eyed him petulantly. "What makes you think I didn't?"

Last to join them were Kise and Kuroko.

Kise instantly pointed at Murasakibara's chocolate bar. "Murasakibara-cchi, tell me you already paid for that!"

"I'm not a thief!" exclaimed Murasakibara indignantly, but his words were garbled by all the chocolate in his mouth.

"What? You'll brush your teeth?" frowned Kise. "That's totally not the point! And how many calories are in that thing? Give me the wrapper!"

"It's a hundred percent sugar-free and paid for," said Himuro. "I won't let him get into any trouble, Kise. Don't worry."

"They had my favourite butterscotch, too," said Murasakibara sulkily.

"How about we stop marking time and check out so we can go back and have a good night's sleep?" suggested Aomine.

"Huh?" cried Kise, looking around in bewilderment. "Kuroko-cchi is gone!"

So were Takao and Akashi. The Miracles looked around until they spotted the three missing people, who were already paying at one of the counters.

"They beat us to it," said Aomine, scratching his head.

"I thought 'beat' wasn't in your vocabulary nanodayo," said Midorima. "But I suppose Seirin has already beat you once."

"Oh shut up. It's a wonder no one's mistaken you for a vegetable and fried you up."

"What did you say nanodayo?!"

"Hahahaha! You took the words right out of my mouth, Aomine-cchi," guffawed Kise.

…

Thanks to Akashi- and Himuro's instructions, the Miracles could get down to work quickly.

"Our objective is to have the table set and and the food ready before Taiga comes back," announced Himuro.

"Can I help?" offered Kuroko. "I can make a mean boiled egg."

"Thanks, Kuroko, but I think it'd be best if you set the table."

"I'll help with the set up too!" volunteered Kise.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be napping in the corner," said Aomine, already slouching off.

"Takao, Midorima, it'd be great if you could assist us with the preparations," smiled Akashi.

"I can be your taste tester, Aka-chin," said Murasakibara.

"No, you won't," said Himuro. "You're going to sit there and watch us. Here, have some yogurt. It's fat-free."

"Gonna wear some tape, Shin-chan?" asked Takao, as he and Midorima laid out the knives and chopping boards.

"No. But that's what gloves are for nanodayo," said Midorima, with a neat snap of his rubbery gloves.

"Oho! Seems like Shin-chan's all warmed up."

"You have to put them on too, Takao. It's for hygiene nanodayo."

"They sure grow up fast," sighed Takao happily as he slipped on his own pair.

Himuro was already mixing up the ingredients in a large bowl while Akashi heated up the frying pan. When the batter was ready and everything was tossed in, Akashi began frying. His hands moved deftly, neatening the edges of the pancake with the spatula and flipping it like a professional.

"With Akashi at the stove, there is no need to watch out for an _okonomiyaki_ landing on my head nanodayo," said Midorima curtly.

Takao coughed into his fist as Himuro looked at them curiously.

When the first batch was done, Himuro transferred it to a plate and set it on the counter.

"Kuroko, Kise! Food's ready. You can start dishing out."

Murasakibara was eyeing the steaming _okonomiyaki_ like a starving bear.

"Ah! Kuroko-cchi, you'd better Misdirect Murasakibara-cchi's attention away from the food," warned Kise, as Kuroko picked up the plate.

"It doesn't work that way, Kise-kun. Besides, I think nothing on earth can steal Murasakibara-kun's attention when he's that hungry."

"The million dollar question is how he can maintain that humongous appetite when he's in my body and why Akashi-cchi's appetite doesn't change when he's in Murasakibara-cchi's body."

"This is absolute proof that Murasakibara's hunger is a psychologically-driven symptom," stated Midorima. "In other words, it's nothing but a mental disorder nanodayo."

"Mido-chin, don't you think taping your fingers is better proof of a mental disorder?" pointed out Murasakibara.

Aomine suddenly got up.

"I smell food," he said. "Finally. I'm ready to eat a whole cow."

"Just a sec," called Himuro. "Akashi's frying up the last batch."

"What? But he just finished the first one!" exclaimed Kise in amazement. "Is he a god or something?"

"Akashi-kun could run a restaurant by himself," remarked Kuroko.

"And Midorima could serve as one of his decorative plants," yawned Aomine.

An eggshell exploded on his head.

"Damn you, Midorima!" exclaimed Aomine furiously, snatching broken bits of eggshell off his hair. "Don't you know whose body you just mucked?"

"Hence the empty shell," said Midorima, pushing up his glasses unconcernedly. "You're lucky nanodayo, Aomine. If it was any other body you were in, it would have been the full ammo."

"Please stop it, you two," said Kuroko. "Fighting won't solve anything."

The door opened. Kagami had returned, dragging along two new futons and a bag of toiletries.

"Phew," he said, setting down his burden and rolling his aching arms. "This is just like that secret training the coach put me through in summer camp."

"Thank you for going to the trouble, Kagami-kun," said Akashi. "We really appreciate it."

"Er… no problem," muttered Kagami. It was weird to be thanked by a guy who had formerly thought of himself as 'the absolute'.

"Tired, Taiga?" smiled Himuro. "We made dinner. Gratitude for putting us up."

Kagami stared at the spread. "Whoa. You made this?"

"Everyone pitched in."

Kagami looked at him in shock. "Even Aomine and Murasakibara?"

"Don't bother hiding your amazement," said Aomine.

"Aomine helped us… with the shopping," said Himuro. "So did Atsushi."

"Murasakibara-kun helped by refraining from eating everyone's share," said Kuroko.

"Which means I've earned double helpings," said Murasakibara.

"No, Atsushi. But you can have more yogurt afterwards."

"…Fine."

They tucked in to their savoury meal. The _okonomomiyaki_ was cooked to perfection. No one could find any criticism for the meal, except perhaps for the loud munching noises coming from Murasakibara's tirelessly-moving mouth.

"Murasakibara-cchi, you're embarrassing me," groaned Kise. "Can't you eat more like a human?"

"That's like asking you to stop Copying people," pointed out Aomine.

"Shin-chan, what's it like to taste the cabbage you sliced with your own hands?" asked Takao eagerly.

"It's good nanodayo," said Midorima indifferently. "Akashi knew what he was doing."

"Kise and Kuroko laid the table for us too," Himuro told Kagami.

"Well, I wanted to help, but the minute I had my back turned to get the utensils, Kuroko-cchi had already set everything," laughed Kise. "It was just like magic."

"You know what's magic? The fact that Murasakibara finished his food five minutes before we started talking," said Aomine.

"You mean it's a curse," said Kise, wincing when he saw Murasakibara's clean plate. "Wait – so what was all that chewing just now?"

"Gum… " said Murasakibara lazily. "Muro-chin said it helps to stave off the hunger."

Takao chortled. Meanwhile, Himuro stood up.

"All done?" he enquired. "Great. I'll start on the dishes."

"Do you need a hand?" asked Kuroko.

"I'd appreciate that. Thanks, Kuroko."

"It's funny. I thought I'd be sleepy after a good meal, but I'm wide awake," mused Aomine.

"Maybe it's a sign," said Kise.

"That, or the fact that it's half past seven nanodayo," said Midorima.

As if Kise's words were a cue, the doorbell rang at that moment.

"Were you expecting guests?" asked Akashi, turning to look at Kagami, who shook his head, looking puzzled, and went to answer the door.

Even from the back, Akashi could see Kagami's jaw drop; standing in front of him after he'd opened the door, was the most unlikely group – Hyuuga, Izuki, Kasamatsu, Miyaji and Wakamatsu.

"Uh…" uttered Kagami. "Mind telling me what brings you here at this hour?"

"We know you swapped," said Izuki, sounding a little breathless.

No one saw the light smile form on Akashi's face; they were too busy gaping at the visitors.

Kagami stared at Izuki blankly. "You… know…?"

"We kind of overheard you talking," explained Miyaji. "Back at the changing room."

"The door was open," added Kasamatsu. "The five of us, plus the Rakuzans, were summoned by the coaches for a pep talk. That's when we heard what you were saying. After that, the coaches didn't have a choice but to tell us the truth."

"You mean the part where I was talking about tomorrow being our last chance to shuffle ourselves back," said Akashi, striding over to the doorway.

All eyes were on him now.

"Akashi?" said Hyuuga.

"That's me," nodded Akashi. "Why don't you come in?"


End file.
